Disappearance of two Madison airmen in 1953 remains a mystery

RECENTLY FOUND
 HEROES in 2018

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
June 19, 2018

Navy Pharmacist’s Mate 1st Class John H. Schoonover, 39

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman from World War II have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Navy Pharmacist’s Mate 1st Class John H. Schoonover, 39, of Port Edwards, Wisconsin, accounted for on Aug. 14, 2017, will be buried June 26 in Pensacola, Florida. On Dec. 7, 1941, Schoonover was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Schoonover. 

From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.

In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Schoonover.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for analysis.

To identify Schoonover’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis.

Currently there are 73,200 service members still unaccounted for from World War II.

Soldier Killed from Korean War Accounted For
June 15, 2018

Army Staff Sgt. Leo J. Husak, 21,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Staff Sgt. Leo J. Husak, 21, of West, Texas, accounted for on February 12, will be buried June 23 in his hometown. In January 1945, Husak was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 309th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division, serving in the European theater. Husak was killed during a combat patrol on Jan. 30, 1945 in Germany’s Hürtgen Forest. The offensive in the forest was one of the longest battles the United States fought during World War II, lasting for nearly five months. 

Due to the ongoing fighting, Husak’s remains were not recovered by members of his unit during the battle. After the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) collected hundreds of unknown sets of remains from battlefields in Germany, and labeled each set with an X-number. One set of remains, designated X-1043 Margraten, had been recovered from an area in the Hürtgen Forest where Husak was believed to have been killed. The AGRC was unable to identify the remains and buried them at Margraten in June 1945 as an unknown. 

In March 1947, personnel from the AGRC reprocessed the remains but were unable to associate the remains with any American service members. They were again reinterred in Margraten in July 1949.

In October 2016, DPAA researchers made a historical association between X-1043 Margraten and Husak, based on the recovery site of the remains and where he was killed. On June 13, 2017, the remains were disinterred and repatriated to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

To identify Husak’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and circumstantial evidence.

Airman killed From World War II Accounted For
June 15, 2018

Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Roy F. Davis, 26

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Roy F. Davis, 26, of Peterborough, New Hampshire, accounted for on June 7, 2017, will be buried June 23 in Ashby, Massachusetts. On March 12, 1944, Davis was a member of the 13th Bombardment Squadron, 3rd Bombardment Group, as one of two crewmembers aboard an A-20G Havoc bomber that failed to return to base in northeastern New Guinea after attacking enemy targets on the island. 

Attempts to locate the aircraft and crew, both during and after the war, were unsuccessful. The War Department declared Davis, as well the other crewmember, 2nd Lt. Vernal J. Bird, deceased on June 30, 1949; their remains were listed as non-recoverable.

In September 2001, a team from the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory (a predecessor to DPAA) located a crash site in a remote area of Papua New Guinea. A native Papuan turned over pieces of wreckage he claimed to have recovered from the crash site. The team also recovered possible remains. On July 15, 2013, the remains were identified as Bird’s.

In February and March 2016, a DPAA Recovery Team excavated the crash site, and recovered additional remains and material evidence. The remains were subsequently sent to the DPAA laboratory.

To identify Davis’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) analysis, which matched his family, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and circumstantial evidence.

Army Pfc. David Baker, 18

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Pfc. David Baker, 18, of Gary, Indiana, accounted for on January 31, will be buried June 23 in Hobart, Indiana. In late November 1950, Baker was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, positioned in the vicinity of Yongbyong, North Korea. Baker’s battalion moved north and lost contact with two other regiments. On Nov. 25, 1950, 3rd BN met with enemy resistance and was attacked by Chinese People’s Volunteer Force. The battalion suffered heavy casualties and Baker was declared missing in action as of Nov. 28, 1950, when he could not be accounted for by his unit. Later reports indicate that baker was likely captured by the enemy during battle.

Although the U.S. Army Graves Registration Service hoped to recover American remains that remained north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone after the war, administrative details between the United Nations Command and North Korea complicated recovery efforts. An agreement was made and in September and October 1954, in what was known as Operation Glory, remains were returned. However, Baker’s remains were not included, and he was declared non-recoverable. 

In December 1993, North Korea turned over 34 boxes of remains, which were sent to the Central Identification Laboratory in Honolulu. One box was reportedly exhumed from Tongju-ri, a village near Prisoner of War Camp 5. While no returning prisoners of war reported Baker as a prisoner, where the remains were recovered indicated he had been captured.

To identify Baker’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence.

Today, 7,641 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War.

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
June 15, 2018

Marine Pfc. John W. Mac Donald, 19,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Marine Pfc. John W. Mac Donald, 19, of Somerville, Massachusetts, accounted for on Aug. 15, 2016, will be buried June 22 in Bourne, Massachusetts. In November 1943, Mac Donald was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Mac Donald died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.

Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.

In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Mac Donald’s remains were not recovered. On Feb. 28, 1949, a military review board declared Mac Donald remains non-recoverable.

In June 2015, a nongovernmental organization, History Flight, Inc., notified DPAA that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.

To identify Mac Donald’s remains, scientists from DPAA used laboratory analysis, including anthropological analysis and dental and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched Mac Donald’s records; as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

Soldier Killed from Korean War Accounted For
June 14, 2018

Army Pfc. Felipe A. Champion, 19

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Pfc. Felipe A. Champion, 19, of Brownsville, Texas, accounted for on Aug. 8, 2017, will be buried June 21 in his hometown. On Feb. 12, 1951, Champion was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, when he was reported missing in action following a battle with the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) in an area known as the Central Corridor, South Korea. After CPVF units withdrew north beyond Hongch’on in early March, American units began moving forward and found war dead, however Champion’s remains could not be identified.

A list provided by the CPVF and Korean People’s Army (KPA) listed Champion as a prisoner of war, and a returning American prisoner of war reported that Champion died while in custody at the Suan Bean Camp prisoner of war camp in 1951. Based on this information, the U.S. Army declared him deceased on May 3. 1951.

Although the U.S. Army Graves Registration Service planned to recover American remains that remained north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone after the war, administrative details between the United Nations Command and North Korea complicated recovery efforts. An agreement was made and in September and October 1954, in what was known as Operation Glory, remains were returned. However, Champion’s remains were not included and he was declared non-recoverable.

Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea returned to the United States 208 boxes of commingled human remains, which when combined with remains recovered during joint recovery operations in North Korea, account for the remains of at least 400 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war. On May 28, 1992, North Korea returned 15 boxes of remains reportedly to have been recovered from where Champion was believed to have died.

To identify Champion’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, anthropological analysis, and circumstantial evidence.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
June 14, 2018

Navy Storekeeper 3rd Class Wallace E. Eakes, 22,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Navy Storekeeper 3rd Class Wallace E. Eakes, 22, of Caney, Kansas, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017, will be buried June 21, in Denver, Colorado. On Dec. 7, 1941, Eakes was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Eakes.

From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.

In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Eakes.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.

To identify Eakes’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstantial evidence.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Pfc. John H. Walker, 20, of Morning Sun, Iowa, accounted for on April 11, will be buried June 20 in his hometown. On Nov. 24, 1944, Walker was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, when he was reported missing in action after his unit engaged in fierce fighting on Hill 207 near Schönthal, Germany in the Hürtgen Forest. With no evidence that Walker had been captured or survived combat, his status was changed to deceased on Nov. 25, 1945.

After the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) collected thousands of unknown sets of remains from battlefields in Germany, and labeled each set with an X-number. 

In November 1948, German resident Mr. Bernhard Kueppers found remains in the woods at the northern edge of the Hürtgen Forest near Langerwehe, Germany, and notified AGRC personnel, who recovered them the following month. The remains were processed at the Central Identification Point in Neuville Belgium, and designated X-7980 Neuville. In September 1949, the remains were declared unidentifiable and were interred at the Ardennes American Cemetery in Neuville, France.

In April 1949, with no association between Walker and X-7980 Neuville, an AGRC investigator traveled to Schönthal to investigate the loss of Walker, however no remains could be located. On Dec. 15, 1950, having received no further evidence that could lead to the recovery of Walker, he was declared non-recoverable. 

In 2016, a historian from DPAA conducted a study of unresolved American losses in the northern part of the Hürtgen Forest. Careful analysis of AGRC records and unit combat reports indicated a strong association between X-7980 and Walker. 

Based off of that research, and a thorough scientific review of the biological and dental records, the DPAA and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed X-7980 in June 2017 and transferred the remains to DPAA.

To identify Walker’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome (Y-STR) DNA analysis, as well as dental and anthropological analysis.

Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
June 12, 2018

Navy Reserve Radioman 2nd Class Julius H.O. Pieper, 19

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Navy Reserve Radioman 2nd Class Julius H.O. Pieper, 19, of Esmond, South Dakota, accounted for on Nov. 15, 2017, will be buried June 19 at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. On June 19, 1944, Pieper was a member of Landing Ship Tank Number 523 (LST-523), off the coast of Normandy, France. The ship exploded and sank after striking an underwater mine, killing Pieper. In the years following the incident, his remains were not recovered or identified. Pieper’s twin brother, Radioman 2nd Class Ludwig J. Pieper, was also killed in the attack, but his remains were recovered after the incident and buried at the Normandy American Cemetery in France. Julius will be buried next to his brother. 

Recently discovered records show that in September 1961, French salvage divers dismantled the LST-523 and turned over potential remains discovered to U.S. authorities. The remains, designated as Unknown X-9352, were found in the Radio Room of LST-523.

The remains could not be identified and were interred in Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium as an Unknown. 

After a thorough historical and scientific analysis, it was determined that X-9352 could likely be identified. After receiving approval, on April 11, 2017, Unknown X-9352 was disinterred from Ardennes American Cemetery and sent to DPAA.

To identify Pieper’s remains, DPAA used laboratory analysis, including dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Sgt. Donald L. Baker, 20, of Thornton, Arkansas, accounted for on Jan. 25, 2018, will be buried June 19 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In September 1950, Baker was a member of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Sept. 6, 1950, as a result of fighting that occurred between his unit and enemy forces near Haman, South Korea.

Following the battle, the U.S. Army Graves Registration Services (AGRS) created Field Search Cases (FSCs) to track unaccounted-for service members, assigning Baker to FSC 182-F. AGRS teams searched battlefields for remains and interred recovered remains at temporary cemeteries in South Korea. FSC 182-F contained 34 associated individuals who corresponded to Baker’s unit. Because of the lack of evidence to verify identity, some of the remains recovered in late September 1950 were buried as “Unknowns.”

On January 6, 1951, a set of unidentified remains recovered southwest of Haman, labeled as “Unknown X-209 Masan,” were interred at United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) in Masan, South Korea. 

In January 1955, the remains were declared to be unidentifiable and were transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery in the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu, known as the Punchbowl.

In 2016, based on research regarding two individuals who remained unaccounted-for from FSC182-F, analysts from DPAA determined that Unknown X-209 could be associated with one of the missing Soldiers from FSC 182-F. DPAA disinterred Unknown X-209 on Oct. 30, 2017 and sent the remains to the laboratory for analysis.

To identify Baker’s remains, scientists from DPAA used chest radiograph comparison, which matched his records, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, and circumstantial evidence.

Soldier Killed from Korean War Accounted For
June 12, 2018

Army Cpl. Morris Meshulam, 20

Army Cpl. Morris Meshulam, 20, Marion, Indiana killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on June 4, 2018.

In late November 1950, Meshulam was a member of Battery D, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Automatic Weapons,) 2nd Infantry Division. The Division suffered heavy losses to units of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) between the towns of Kunu-ri and Sunchon, North Korea. Meshulam was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950.

Corporal Morris Meshulam (ASN: RA-15277708), United States Army, was held as a Prisoner of War after he was captured on 1 December 1950 during the Korean War. He was unaccounted for after the war and is presumed to have died or been killed while in captivity.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Meshulam's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Pilot Killed From Vietnam War Accounted For
June 11, 2018

Air Force Maj. James B. White, 27

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Vietnam War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Air Force Maj. James B. White, 27, of St. Petersburg, Florida, accounted for on June 16, 2017, will be buried June 19 in West Point, New York. On Nov. 24, 1969, White, a member of the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron, was aboard an F-105D aircraft, in a flight attacking enemy troops. During the mission, weather conditions deteriorated and contact with White was lost after his first pass. On Nov. 28, an Air America helicopter sighted wreckage, thought to be White’s aircraft. A Laotian ground team searched the area and found small pieces of wreckage, but no remains were recovered. White was subsequently declared missing in action.

In August 1998, a Laotian villager led a joint U.S./Lao People’s Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team to a crash site. The team searched the site and found wreckage and material evidence, possibly correlating the site to White’s incident. 

In the spring of 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016, joint U.S./L.P.D.R. teams excavated an F-105D crash site associated with the loss and recovered possible human remains and material evidence. After each excavation, remains were sent to the Central Identification Laboratory, where they were consolidated. 

To identify White, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.

Today there are 1,597 American servicemen and civilians that are still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Vietnam War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Air Force Col. Peter J. Stewart, 47, born in Glasgow, Scotland, raised in Winter Haven, Florida, accounted for on Feb. 28, 2018, will be buried June 18 in Winter Haven. On March 15, 1966, Stewart, a member of Headquarters, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, was the pilot of a two-seater F-4C aircraft, the second in a flight of two on an armed reconnaissance mission over northern Vietnam. The lead aircraft spotted two vehicles as the flight approached the target area and Stewart responded he was going to strafe the trucks. The lead aircraft, while maneuvering to engage the targets, lost sight of Stewart’s aircraft, but saw a bright orange explosion over the trucks. The flight lead immediately attempted to contact Stewart’s aircraft without result. No parachutes or emergency signals were seen, and all subsequent attempts to contact Stewart and his aircraft commander were unsuccessful. An organized search was not possible due to hostilities in the area. Stewart was subsequently declared missing in action. His status was later amended to deceased.

In November 2014, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) recovery team conducted recovery operations at a possible F-4C crash site in Dien Bien District, Dien Bien Province. Material evidence and possible osseous material was recovered and sent to the Central Identification Laboratory for analysis. Additional recovery operations were conducted in late 2015 and late 2016, and all recovered remains were sent to the laboratory for analysis. 

In June 2017, DPAA identified the remains of the aircraft commander, Col. Martin R. Scott. 

From October to December 2017, a joint U.S./S.R.V. team continued excavating the crash site, recovering human remains and material evidence.

To identify Stewart’s remains, DPAA used dental analysis, which matched his records, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Paul D. Gilman, COLORADO killed during World War II, was accounted for on May 17, 2018.

In November 1943, Gilman was assigned to Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Gilman died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.

DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc., for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Gilman's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
June 11, 2018

Navy Reserve Fireman 1st Class Lewis F. Tindall,

Navy Reserve Fireman 1st Class Lewis F. Tindall, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on March 26, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Tindall was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Tindall.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Tindall's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Soldier Killed from Korean War Accounted For
June 11, 2018

Marine Corps Sgt. Meredith F. Keirn, 25

Marine Corps Sgt. Meredith F. Keirn, 25, Niagara Falls, NY. killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on May 22, 2018.

In late November, 1950, Keirn was a light machinegun section leader for Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He was reported to have been killed Nov. 30, 1950 while defending a hill overlooking the Toktong Pass, a critical main supply route between the villages of Hagaru-ri and Yudam-ni, North Korea. His remains were reportedly buried at the base of “Fox Hill,” in the Toktong Pass, but they could not be recovered following the war.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Keirn's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War.

Pilot killed From World War II Accounted For
June 5, 2018

Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Robert R. Keown, 24

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Robert R. Keown, 24, of Scottsboro, Alabama, accounted for on Nov. 8, 2017, will be buried June 15 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. On April 16, 1944, Keown was a the pilot of one of four P-38s of the 36th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, on a mission in a P-38 aircraft to escort a B-25 medium bomber on an aerial search near the mouth of the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea. The escort planes encountered heavy overcast conditions and charted a course for an auxiliary airfield. The aircraft turned toward open ocean to find a break in the clouds, when Keown and his wingman became separated from the other aircraft. Keown was reported missing in action after all four aircraft failed to return following the mission. Due to weather conditions, no searches were conducted that day. 

Due to a lack of information on Keown’s status, the War Department declared him deceased on Feb. 7, 1946. In August 1949, the American Graves Registration Service classified Keown as non-recoverable.

In April 1999, the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery turned over possible human remains to investigators from the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii. The remains had reportedly been found amid wreckage from an airplane crash. In August and September 2015, Pacific Wrecks, Inc., through a partnership with DPAA, interviewed witnesses and surveyed a crash site that possibly correlated an account by local farmer Soka Dodon, who reported finding remains on his land in the 1980s, before burying the remains in the Torik Village Cemetery. In the 1990s, Dodon exhumed the remains and turned them over to a relative, John Bonding, a resident of Kikiapa Village. 

To identify Keown’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) analysis, as well as anthropological analysis, and circumstantial evidence.

Navy Musician 1st Class Henri C. Mason, from California, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on March 26, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Mason was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Mason.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Mason's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Airman killed From World War II Accounted For
June 5, 2018

Army Air Forces Tech Sgt. John S. Bailey, 28

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces Tech Sgt. John S. Bailey, 28, of Woodstock, Virginia, accounted for on Sept. 18, 2017, will be buried June 13, in Winchester, Virginia. On Jan. 21, 1944, Bailey was a member of the 38th Bombardment Squadron, (Heavy), 30th Bombardment Group, stationed at Hawkins Field, Helen Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, when his B-24J bomber crashed shortly after take-off. 

Following the crash, the squadron’s physician recovered the remains of six individuals who died in the crash and interred them in the Main Marine Cemetery No. 33 on Betio Island. 

Following the war, the U.S. Army’s 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947. Using Marine Corps records, they began the task of consolidating all the remains from isolated burial sites into a single cemetery called Lone Palm Cemetery. The remains of the crew on the B-24J bomber were believed to be among those moved, however Bailey’s remains were not identified and he was declared non-recoverable.

In May 2017, DPAA, through a partnership with History Flight, Inc., returned to Betio to conduct excavations of osseous remains. The remains were sent to DPAA for analysis.

To identify Bailey’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental, and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstantial evidence.

Soldier killed From World War II Accounted For
June 4, 2018

Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Charles A. Drew, 29

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Charles A. Drew, 29, of Coalinga, California, accounted for on Sept. 20, 2017, will be buried June 11, in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. In November 1943, Drew was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Drew died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.

The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.

In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Drew’s remains were not recovered. On Oct. 7, 1949, a military review board declared Drew’s remains non-recoverable.

In June 2015, a nongovernmental organization, History Flight, Inc., notified DPAA that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.

To identify Drew’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

Pilot Killed From Vietnam War Accounted For
June 1, 2018

Naval Reserve Lt. Cmdr. Larry R. Kilpatrick, 29

Naval Reserve Lt. Cmdr. Larry R. Kilpatrick, 29, Stone Mountain, Georgia was killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for on May 18.

On June 18, 1972, Kilpatrick was a member of Attack Squadron One Hundred Five (VA-105), on board the USS Saratoga (CVA-60), flying an A-7A aircraft in a flight of two on a night armed reconnaissance mission over northern Vietnam. Kilpatrick's wingman lost radio contact with him outside of Ha Tinh City, after he announced he had sighted a target and was commencing an attack. After daybreak, search and rescue aircraft observed remnants of a parachute near Kilpatrick's last known location, but could not identify it as Kilpatrick's. The search and rescue team was unable to locate any aircraft wreckage.

DPAA is grateful to the government of Vietnam for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Kilpatrick's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War.
 A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Soldier killed From World War II Accounted For
June 1, 2018

Army Pfc. Oscar E. Sappington, 19

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Pfc. Oscar E. Sappington, 19, of Dawson, Oklahoma, accounted for on April 23, will be buried June 9 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In January 1945, Sappington was a member of 3rd Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 309th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division. On Jan 10, the 309th Infantry launched a number of attacks in the Hürtgen Forest of Germany. His company attempted to capture two hills near the Raffelsbrand sector of the forest. Enemy gunfire and artillery strikes forced the Americans to fall back. The following day, reinforcements led the attack on the hills, also sustaining heavy losses. At some point during the two days of fighting, Sappington was mortally wounded. Because no Soldiers from his unit could confirm his death, he was reported missing in action as of Jan. 11, 1945. 

In 1947, a German woodcutter found a set of remains that were subsequently recovered by the American Graves Registration Command. Unable to identify the remains, they were buried as Unknown, and designated X-5396.

After the war, the American Graves Registration Command extensively investigated the Hürtgen Forest, but could find no evidence leading to the recovery of Sappington’s remains. Unable to make a correlation with remains found in 1947, he was declared non-recoverable on Dec. 10, 1951. 

In 2016, a historian from DPAA conducted a study of combat records and unresolved American losses in the Raffelsbrand sector of the Hürtgen Forest. During this effort, the historian determined that the X-5396 remains had been recovered in the 309th Infantry combat zone and recommended that officials disinter the remains for scientific comparison to Pfc Sappington. Based off of that research, and a thorough scientific review of the biological and dental records, DPAA and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed X-5396 in June 2017 and transferred the remains to DPAA.

To identify Sappington’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, as well as anthropological, dental and chest radiograph comparison analysis, and material evidence.

Airman killed From World War II Accounted For
June 1, 2018

Army Air Forces Sgt. Alfonso O. Duran

Army Air Forces Sgt. Alfonso O. Duran, killed during World War II, was accounted for on May 22, 2018.

In February 1944, Duran was a nose gunner on a B-24H Liberator, assigned to the 724th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 451st Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force. On February 25, 1944, the final day of Operation Argument, Duran’s aircraft came under attack by German fighters and anti-aircraft fire, while he was on a bombing mission targeting Regensburg, Germany. The tail gunner in another aircraft witnessed a direct hit on Duran’s aircraft, which tore off a section of the right wing. Nine of the ten crew members were able to bail from the aircraft before it crashed. The tail gunner from Duran’s aircraft reported he had last seen Duran alive in the aircraft, but believed Duran did not bail out. All nine of Duran’s crewmates survived the bail out and were captured and interrogated in Verona, Italy, where they were told that one body had been found in the aircraft wreckage. The crash site was reported to be located near Ljubljana, Slovenia, an area then under Axis control.

DPAA is grateful to the Slovenian Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities, the Institute for Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, the residents of Pokojišče, the several private Slovenian researchers involved, the Office of Australian War Graves Commission, and the RAAF Directorate of History and Heritage for their partnership in this recovery.

On Feb. 25, 1944, Duran wasn’t supposed to be on the doomed B-24H Liberator, nicknamed “Knock it Off.” Normally a nose turret gunner,
Duran was the substitute tail turret gunner on the flight, replacing the usual tail gunner who had frostbite.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Duran’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery in Impruneta, Italy, along with other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Sgt. Julius E. McKinney, 23, of Clay, Arkansas, accounted for on March 5, will be buried June 8 in Corinth, Mississippi. In late November 1950, McKinney was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Approximately 2,500 U.S. and 700 South Korean soldiers assembled into the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it was attacked by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. As the Chinese attacks continued, American forces withdrew south. By December 6, the U.S. Army evacuated approximately 1,500 service members; the remaining soldiers had been either captured, killed or missing in enemy territory. McKinney was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after he was last seen on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir.

McKinney’s name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists and no returning Americans reported McKinney as a prisoner of war. Due to the prolonged lack of evidence, the U.S. Army declared him non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.

During the 36th Joint Recovery Operation in September and October 2004, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, (a predecessor to DPAA) Recovery Team 2, conducted recovery operations with elements of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir. A secondary burial site was excavated in the vicinity of Twikkae Village, Changjin County. The remains of at least five individuals were accessioned to the Central Identification Laboratory in Honolulu.

To identify McKinney’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, which matched his family, anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and material evidence.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
June 1, 2018

Navy Seaman 1st Class Henry G. Tipton, 20,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Navy Seaman 1st Class Henry G. Tipton, 20, of Imboden, Arkansas, accounted for on February 5, will be buried June 8 in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. On Dec. 7, 1941, Tipton was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Tipton. 

From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.

In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Tipton.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for analysis.

To identify Tipton’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA, as well as circumstantial evidence and dental and anthropological analysis.

Soldier Killed from Korean War Accounted For
May 24, 2018

Army Sgt. Eugene W. Yost,

Army Sgt. Eugene W. Yost, Milaca, Minnesota, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on March 28.

In September 1950, Yost was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Yost’s regiment was responsible for defending the road from Sanju to Taegu in South Korea, and positioned themselves in bordering hills. On September 2, the unit received information that the 19th Regiment North Korea People’s Army would attack in the evening. During the night, the North Koreans overran the cavalry’s positions. Yost was last seen on Sept. 3, 1950, and was reported missing in action when he could not be accounted for.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their assistance in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Yost's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
May 24, 2018

Navy Seaman 2nd Class Carl Nichols,

Navy Seaman 2nd Class Carl Nichols, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on March 27, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Nichols was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Nichols.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Nichols' name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Soldier killed From World War II Accounted For
May 24, 2018

Army Sgt. Joseph Akers,

Army Sgt. Joseph Akers, killed during World War II, was accounted for on April 30, 2018.

In November 1944, Akers was a member of Company C, 803rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, participating in intense fighting in the Hürtgen Forest. His company was deployed as direct fire support for American infantrymen attacking the town of Grosshau. Two tank destroyers and six tanks, including the M10 tank destroyer Akers was on, were knocked out in the fighting around Grosshau on Nov. 25, 1944. He was killed during the battle, though his status was initially listed as missing in action. On Dec. 21, 1944, his status was amended to killed in action.

DPAA is grateful the American Battle Monuments Commission for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Akers' name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the other MIAs from WWII. Although interred as an "unknown" his grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
May 24, 2018

Marine Corps Pfc. Francis E. Drake, Jr., 20

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Marine Corps Pfc. Francis E. Drake, Jr., 20, of Framingham, Massachusetts, accounted for on Aug. 28, 2017, will be buried May 25 in Springfield, Massachusetts. On October 9, 1942, Drake was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, participating in a main offensive action in the Battle of Guadalcanal. After nearly two months of battle, the regiment completed their action, however Morrissey was killed in action. Two other Marines from Morrissey’s battalion were reportedly interred in graves atop Hill 73, alongside him.

From 1947 through 1949, the American Graves Registration Service searched for isolated burials on Guadalcanal but did not associate any remains with Morrissey. Based on the lack of information, Drake was declared non-recoverable. 

In 2011, Mr. Yorick Tokuru, a resident of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, located possible osseous remains near his home on the western edge of Skyline Ridge (Hill 73). A team of Royal Solomon Islands Police Force investigators excavated the site and turned recovered remains over to the state archaeologist. The archaeologist turned the remains over to Mr. John Innes, an Australian expert on the Battle of Guadalcanal, who in turn contacted the Joint POW/MIA Recovery Command (JPAC- now DPAA.) 

On July 12, 2013, Mr. Ewan Stevenson, a Guadalcanal native living in New Zealand, contacted JPAC stating more remains had been recovered near the site of the 2011 recovery location. 

On August 6, 2013, the remains were unilaterally turned over to JPAC for identification.

To identify Drake’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as historical and material evidence.

Army Sgt. John W. Hall, captured and killed during the Korean War, was accounted for June 6, 2017.

In late November 1950, Hall was a member of Headquarters Battery, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On Nov. 29, Hall’s unit received orders to move from Kunu-ri to Sunchon, North Korea. The division received reports that the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) had set up fireblocks on several roads, including their planned withdrawal route. The division organized a movement into convoys, with Hall in the eighth convoy. Hall’s battalion began their withdrawal route through an area known as “The Gauntlet.” Hall was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, in the vicinity of Somindong, North Korea.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Hall's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Soldier Killed from Korean War Accounted For
May 22, 2018

Army Pfc. Willie E. Blue, 19,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Pfc. Willie E. Blue, 19, of New Orleans, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017, will be buried May 29 in Dallas, Texas. In August 1950, Blue was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, taking part in defending the Naktong Bulge portion of the Pusan Perimeter. He was reported missing in action as of Aug. 31, 1950, after his status could not be determined following his admittance to the 2nd Clearing Station, 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division in Yong-san, South Korea. No additional records showed his disposition, nor did the 8076th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) have records on Blue. With no additional information concerning his loss, the Department of the Army declared him deceased on March 3, 1954.

On Aug. 5, 1951, a search and recovery team from the 565th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company recovered a single set of remains near Tongjong-ni, South Korea. The remains were designated “Unknown X-1664” and transferred to the Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan. The remains were deemed unidentifiable and were transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, known as the “Punchbowl.”

After a thorough historical and scientific analysis of information associated with X-1664 it was determined that the remains could likely be identified. After receipt of approval, the remains were disinterred from the Punchbowl on Aug. 14, 2017, and sent to the laboratory for analysis.

To identify Blue’s remains, scientists from DPAA dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
May 21, 2018

Navy Radioman 2nd Class Walter H. Backman, 22

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Navy Radioman 2nd Class Walter H. Backman, 22, of Wilton, North Dakota, accounted for on July 17, 2017, will be buried May 28 in Batavia, Illinois. On Dec. 7, 1941, Backman was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Backman. 

From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.

In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Backman.

In 2003, a single casket associated with the USS Oklahoma attack was disinterred from the Punchbowl, however laboratory analysis revealed the remains to be highly commingled. In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for analysis.

To identify Backman’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis.

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
May 21, 2018

Marine Corps Pfc. Jack H. Krieger, 28,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Marine Corps Pfc. Jack H. Krieger, 28, of Larned, Kansas, accounted for on January 10, will be buried May 28, in his hometown. In November 1943, Krieger was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Krieger died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.

The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.

In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Krieger’s remains were not recovered. On Oct. 7, 1949, a military review board declared Krieger’s remains non-recoverable. Remains that had been recovered were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. Remains that could not be identified were subsequently buried as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In 2013, through a partnership with History Flight, Inc., the laboratory received remains recovered from a site believed to be Cemetery 25 on Betio Island.

On April 3, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa X-224 from the Punchbowl and accessioned them to the lab for analysis.

To identify Krieger’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
May 17, 2018

Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Harvel L. Moore, 25,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Harvel L. Moore, 25, of Chatham, Louisiana, accounted for on February 12, will be buried May 26, in his hometown. In November 1943, Moore was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Moore died on the third day of the battle, Nov. 22, 1943.

Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.

In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Moore’s remains were not identified. 

In May 2015, History Flight, Inc., a nongovernmental organization conducted excavations on Betio, finding osseous remains through various advanced investigative techniques. The remains were sent to DPAA for analysis.

To identify Moore’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA, which matched his family, dental, and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Marine Corps Sgt. Elden W. Grimm, 26, of Menasha, Wisconsin, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017, will be buried May 26 in Neenah, Wisconsin. In November 1943, Grimm was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Grimm died on Nov. 25, 1943. 

The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.

In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company of the American Graves Registration Services (AGRS) had recovered remains from burial sites across the Tarawa Atoll and interred them in Lone Palm Cemetery. The remains that could not be identified were designated as “Unknowns.”

In 1947, the U.S. Army began disinterments to bring the remains to Oahu for identification at the Central Identification Laboratory. A set of remains designated Unknown X-150 were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii for analysis. When the X-150 could not be identified, they were reinterred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In October 2016, due to recent advances in forensic technology, DPAA began the exhumation of unknown remains associated with Tarawa from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

To identify Grimm’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched his records, and circumstantial evidence.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
May 17, 2018

Navy Seaman 1st Class Willard H. Aldridge, 20

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Navy Seaman 1st Class Willard H. Aldridge, 20, of Sitka, Kansas, accounted for on Nov. 15, 2017, will be buried May 26 in Ashland, Kansas. On Dec. 7, 1941, Aldridge was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Aldridge. 

From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.

In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Aldridge.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the Punchbowl for analysis.

To identify Aldridge’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, along with circumstantial evidence.

Airmen killed From World War II Accounted For
May 16, 2018

Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Clarence E. Allen, 23,

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, unaccounted for since World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Clarence E. Allen, 23, of Venice, California, accounted for on July 26, 2017, will be buried May 23 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. In mid-October 1944, Allen was a member of the 395th Fighter Squadron, 368th Fighter Group, and was the pilot of a P-47 aircraft as the lead element in a dive-bombing mission near Aachen, Germany. The squadron engaged enemy aircraft in dogfights in the vicinity of Dusseldorf, and following the battle, all aircraft except Allen’s returned to the base. The squadron Mission Report indicated that a P-47 was seen crashing in the vicinity of the battle. Based on this information, Allen was declared missing in action on Oct. 12, 1944.

Following the hostilities, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) personnel searched for and disinterred the remains of American servicemen. On March 18, 1948, the AGRC team disinterred remains from the community cemetery of Myhl. The remains were deemed unidentifiable and designated “Unknown X-7214,” and buried in the United States Military Cemetery in Neuville-en-Condroz (now known as Ardennes American Cemetery) in Nupré, Belgium.

On March 8, 2003, German researchers located aircraft wreckage that correlated with Allen’s aircraft, in Myhl. After a thorough historical and scientific analysis, it was determined that X-7214 could likely be identified. After receiving approval, in 2005, Unknown X-7214 was disinterred from Ardennes American Cemetery and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

To identify Allen’s remains, historians from DPAA established a strong link between X-7214 and historical documentation of Allen’s loss. Then, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which strengthened the link to Allen’s family members, establishing a consistent anthropological profile between X-7214 and Allen.

Aviator killed From World War II Accounted For
May 14, 2018

Navy Reserve Ensign Harold P. DeMoss

Navy Reserve Ensign Harold P. DeMoss, Nashville, Tenn. killed during World War II, was accounted for on May 9, 2018.

In the early morning hours of June 23, 1945, DeMoss was a member of Fighting Squadron 100 (VF-100), piloting an F6F-3 Hellcat from Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Oahu, Territory Hawaii. DeMoss was accompanied by two other squadron aircraft for a night division tactics training flight. Following the completion of their flight plan, the pilots circled the island. At Kahuku Point, the northern tip of Oahu, the pilots encountered a layer of clouds. DeMoss climbed above the clouds and attempted to descend through them. His aircraft was not seen reemerging from the clouds and attempts to contact him via radio were unsuccessful. An immediate search for his aircraft began.

Interment services are pending; more information will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

USS Oklahoma Sailor Missing From World War II Accounted For
May 11, 2018

Navy Seaman 2nd Class William V. Campbell, 20

Navy Seaman 2nd Class William V. Campbell, 20, Elizabethton, Tenn. killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on May 9, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Campbell was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Campbell.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Campbell's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Army Sgt. Melvin C. Anderson,

Army Sgt. Melvin C. Anderson, killed during World War II.

In November 1944, Anderson was a member of Company C, 803rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, participating in intense fighting in the Hürtgen Forest. His company was deployed as direct fire support for American infantrymen attacking the town of Grosshau. Two tank destroyers and six tanks, including the M10 tank destroyer Anderson was the tank commander on, were knocked out in the fighting around Grosshau on Nov. 25, 1944. He was killed during the battle, though his status was initially listed as missing in action. On Dec. 21, 1944, his status was amended to killed in action.

DPAA is grateful the American Battle Monuments Commission for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Anderson’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the other MIAs from WWII. Although interred as an "unknown" his grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Navy Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class William F. Hellstern, 20, of Peoria, Illinois, accounted for on February 12, will be buried May 18 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. On Dec. 7, 1941, Hellstern was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Hellstern. 

From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.

In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Hellstern.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for analysis.

To identify Hellstern’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA, as well as circumstantial evidence and dental and anthropological analysis.

Navy Ship fitter 3rd Class John M. Donald,

Navy Ship fitter 3rd Class John M. Donald, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on April 11, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Donald was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Donald.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.

Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.

Donald's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.