POW/MIA Welcome Home

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (17 January 2024) that U.S. Army Master Sgt. Roy E. Barrow, 39 of Valdosta, Georgia, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 22, 2023.

In the winter of 1950, MSG Barrow was a member of King Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 12 after his unit was attacked by enemy forces as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.

In 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea unilaterally turned over remains to the United States, including one set, designated Unknown X-15869 Operation Glory. The remains were reportedly recovered from prisoner of war camps, United Nations cemeteries and isolated burial sites. None of the remains could be identified as Barrow and he was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956. The remains were subsequently buried as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

In 2013, DPAA disinterred X-15869, and after a decade of scientific advances and increased historical research, DPAA was able to positively associate X-15869 to Barrow.

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

MSG Barrow will be buried in Valdosta, Georgia, on January 27, 2024.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (06 February 2024) that U.S. Army CPL Adin C. Norris Jr., 21, of Kansas City, Missouri, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Dec. 5, 2022.

In July 1950, Norris was a member of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on July 20 after his unit sustained heavy casualties while withdrawing from Taejon, South Korea. Due to the fighting, his body could not be recovered at that time, and there was never any evidence that he was a prisoner of war. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.

After regaining control of Taejon in the fall of 1950, the Army began recovering remains from the area and temporarily interring them at the United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) Taejon. One set of remains recovered during this period was designated Unknown X-266 Taejon. After extensive analysis by the Central Identification Unit-Kokura in Japan was unable to identify X-266, the remains were declared unidentifiable. They were later sent to Hawaii where they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, with other Korean War Unknowns.

In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. On July 15, 2019, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-266 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Project and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

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

Norris will be buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (05 February 2024) that Fireman First Class (F1c) Walter F. Schleiter, 22, of Massillon, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for on May 18, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Schleiter 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 Schleiter.

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 Schleiter.

Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.

Schleiter’s name is recorded in the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Schleiter will be buried on April 11, 2024, in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (05 February 2024) that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. James A. Deeds, 23 of Oakland, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 3, 2023.

In the summer of 1943, Deeds was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 “Liberator” bomber Kate Smith piloted by Deeds was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. His remains were not identified following the war. The remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania.

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns from Bolovan Cemetery, and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.

In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted-for airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification.

Deeds name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Deeds will be buried in San Diego, California, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (07 February 2024) that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Dan W. Corson, 27, of Middletown, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 22, 2023.

In December of 1942, Corson was assigned to the 401st Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force. On December 20, Corson was co-piloting a B-17F “Flying Fortress,” nicknamed Danellen, when it was struck by anti-aircraft fire after a bombing raid on a German aircraft factory at Romilly-sur-Seine, France. Corson’s aircraft was last seen spinning towards the ground, crashing near the village of Bernières-sur-Seine, France. Only one airman parachuted successfully, while the other eight crew members, including Corson, were still on board. A villager witnessed the crash and confirmed there was only one survivor. The War Department issued a finding of death for 1st Lt. Corson on Dec. 20, 1943.

Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the European Theater. Following the war, the AGRC disinterred four sets of remains later designated as X-83, X-84, X-85, and X-86 St. Andre from Evreux cemetery. They were unable to identify the remains and were interred at the Normandy American Cemetery.

In 2011, a family member of one of the Danellen crew contacted the Department of Defense after visiting the crash site and interviewing a witness who had artifacts belonging to the Danellen. In April 2011, DPAA historians re-analyzed the unknowns associated with the crew and determined there was enough evidence to pursue the case. In October that year, a DPAA Investigation Team traveled to Bernières-sur-Seine to interview the witness and learned the crash site was completely destroyed. In March 2019, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) exhumed the unknown remains designated X-83, X-85, and X-86 St. Andre believed to be associated with the crew of the Danellen, including 1st Lt. Corson, from Normandy American Cemetery.

Corson’s name is recorded on the memorialized on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Cambridge, England, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Corson will be buried in Middletown, Ohio, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (02 February 2024) that U.S. Army Pfc. Richard G. Pitsor, 18, of Ft. Bayard, New Mexico, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for March 20, 2023.

In late 1941, Pitsor was a member of G Company of the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.

Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.  Pitsor was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.

According to prison camp and other historical records, Pitsor died Aug. 28,1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 305.

Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Pistor’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).

Pitsor will be buried in Ft. Bayard, New Mexico, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (30 January 2024) that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Henry L. Stevens, 23, of Monroe, Louisiana, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept 15, 2023.

In late 1944, Stevens was assigned to the 557th Bombardment Squadron, 387th Bombardment Group, Ninth U.S. Air Force, in the European Theater of Operations. On Dec. 23, Stevens was a crewmember aboard a B-26F “Marauder” aircraft, nicknamed Shirley D, which was shot by anti-aircraft fire over Bitburg, Germany, while returning from a bombing raid. Witness reported Shirley D took damage to the right engine, resulting in a massive fire which forced crewmen to bail out. Survivors watched Shirley D crash near Winville, Belgium, with several crewmembers, including Stevens, still onboard.

A few days after the crash, several Belgian residents recovered one set of remains from the crash site near Houmont and turned them over to American forces operating in the area. American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel initially identified the pilot, while the other set of remains remained Unknown. By Dec. 26, 1944, everyone from Stevens’s aircraft had been identified and accounted for except for Stevens, and he was declared non-recoverable.

In 2013, DPAA personnel returned to the crash site near Winville, Belgium, where they recovered materials associated with the crashed B-26. Later in 2019, while working in conjunction with researchers from the University of Wisconsin, possible remains were located and sent to the DPAA laboratory for testing and possible identification.

Stevens’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Neupré, Belgium, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Stevens will be buried on March 8, 2024, in Bushnell, Florida.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (30 January 2024) that U.S. Army Master Sgt. Thomas Crayton, 28, of Austin, Texas, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Sep. 26, 2023.

In Nov. 1950, Crayton was a member of Alpha Battery, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth U.S. Army. He went missing in action and captured by enemy forces after his unit engaged combat actions in the vicinity of Somindong, North Korea, on Dec. 1, 1950. Shortly after he went missing, Chinese forces announced MSG Crayton had been captured as a Prisoner of War. In 1953, several POWs returned during Operation Big Switch reported Crayton had been a prisoner of war and died on Feb. 11, 1951, at Prisoner of War Camp #5. His remains were not immediately recovered or identified after the war.

In 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea unilaterally turned over remains to the United States, including one set, designated Unknown X-14240. The remains were reportedly recovered from prisoner of war camps, United Nations cemeteries and isolated burial sites. None of the remains could be identified as Crayton and he was declared non-recoverable on Aug. 24, 1953. The remains were subsequently buried as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

Chinese prison camp administrators moved many of their prisoners between POW Camps 1 and 5, and historical records and contemporary analysis have shown that the Chinese and North Korean recovery data has frequently proven inaccurate. In February 2020, scientists from the DPAA laboratory disinterred Unknown X-14240 from the NMCP for scientific analysis.

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

Crayton will be buried in Austin, Texas, on a date to be determined

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (29 January 2024) that U.S. Army Pvt. Earl E.R. Seibert, 23, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 10, 2023.

In late 1941, Seibert was a member of Headquarters Company, 803rd Engineer Battalion (Aviation), when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.

Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.  Seibert was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death Seibert and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.

According to prison camp and other historical records, Seibert died July 27, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 225.

Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Three of the sets of remains from Common Grave 225 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.

In Seibert 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 225 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Seibert’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).

Seibert will be buried on a date and location to be determined by the family.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (12 February 2024) that U.S. Army Tech. 4th Grade (TECH4) Elmo F. Hartwick, 38, of Onaga, Kansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 21, 2023.

In June 1944, Hartwick was assigned to Company C, 149th Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theater. On June 6, Hartwick was aboard Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92, along with roughly 200 other servicemembers, enroute to land on Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France. As LCI-92 steamed toward the shore, it struck an underwater mine which caused the craft to burst into flames. The craft was also hit by enemy artillery fire, causing an explosion that ignited the ships fuel stores and instantly killed everyone in the troop compartment. Due to the urgency of the situation, it was impossible for others to search for survivors. Hartwick’s remains were not accounted for after the war.

Around June 10, members of the 500th Medical Collecting Company examined the wreckage of LCI-92 and noted the burnt remains of servicemen in the troop compartment, where Hartwick and others were last seen. American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, removed small amounts of remains from LCI-92 and buried them in the United States Military Cemetery (USMC) St. Laurent-sur-Mer.

Beginning in 1946, AGRC analyzed the remains found in LCI-92, segregating them into four separate Unknowns (X-53, X-83, X-83B, and X-83C). Despite their efforts, AGRC were unable to identify the Unknowns at the time and they were interred in Normandy American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Normandy, France.

In June and August 2021, the Department of Defense and ABMC officials exhumed the comingled remains of the four Unknowns and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.

Hartwick’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Hartwick will be buried in Onaga, Kansas, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (12 February 2024) that U.S. Army Cpl. Charles R. Patten, 24, of Lebanon, Missouri, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for June 7, 2023.

In July 1950, Patten was a member of Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He went missing in action after his unit was forced to retreat from the vicinity of Taejon, South Korea, on July 20. Due to the fighting, his body could not be recovered at that time, and there was never any evidence that he was a prisoner of war. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.

After regaining control of Taejon in the fall of 1950, the Army began recovering remains from the area and temporarily interring them at the United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) Taejon. One set of remains recovered during this period was designated Unknown X-2 Taejon. A tentative association was made between X-2 and Patten, but definitive proof could not be found, and X-2 was determined to be unidentifiable. The remains were sent to Hawaii where they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. On February 24, 2020, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-2 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Project and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory, for analysis.

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

Cpl. Patten will be buried in Lawson, Missouri, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (07 March 2024) that U.S. Army Pvt. James B. McCartney, 22, of Ridgeway, Colorado, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 21, 2023.

In early 1945, McCartney was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 222nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division. On March 1, McCartney was killed in action while his unit was on patrol near Wildenguth, France. The Germans never reported McCartney as a prisoner of war, and his remains were not immediately recovered.

Beginning in 1947, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, searched the area around Wildenguth. None of the investigations uncovered any leads regarding the disposition of McCartney’s remains. He was declared non-recoverable on Oct. 8, 1951.

DPAA historians have been conducting on-going research into Soldiers missing from combat around Wildenguth. and found that X-6492, buried in Lorraine American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in St. Avold, France, could be associated with McCartney. X-6492 was disinterred in August 2022 and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.

McCartney’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in Dinozé, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

McCartney will be buried March 30, 2024, in Bakersfield, California.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (06 March 2024) that Navy Fire Controlman 2nd (F2c) Class Lawrence J. Overley, 21, of Los Angeles, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for on July 16, 2021.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Overley 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 F2c Overley.

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 Overley.

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

F2c Overley will be buried on March 27, 2024, in the Punchbowl.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (13 March 2024) that U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. Richard J. Kasten, 24, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, killed during World War II, was accounted for July 18, 2023.

In January 1944, Kasten was assigned to the 68th Bombardment Squadron, 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy) in the European Theater. On Jan. 21, Kasten, a navigator on board a B-24D Liberator, was killed in action when his plane was attacked by German air forces near Écalles-sur-Buchy, France. The aircraft ultimately crashed near Lignières-Châtelain, where four of the 11 crewmembers were killed. German forces quickly found the crash site and recovered three sets of remains, which were then interred in the French cemetery at Poix-de-la-Somme. Kasten’s remains were not reported among those buried by German forces, and he was listed as Killed In Action by October 1944.

American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) personnel exhumed American remains from Poix cemetery in June 1945, where they recovered four the remains of three of 1st Lt. Kasten's crewmates and four sets of unknown remains, including one set designated X-411 St. Andre (X-411). These remains were ultimately interred in Suresnes American Cemetery in France.

In April 2019, DPAA historians and American Battle Monuments Commission personnel, exhumed X-411 from Suresnes American Cemetery and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis where it was later determined the remains of X-411 belonged to Kasten.

Kasten’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Ardennes American Cemetery, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

1st Lt. Kasten will be buried in Battle Creek, Michigan, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (14 March 2024) that U.S. Army Cpl. Julius G. Wolfe, 20, of Liberal, Missouri, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 21, 2023.

In June 1944, Wolfe was assigned to Company B, 149th Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theater. On June 6, Wolfe was aboard Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92, along with roughly 200 other servicemembers, enroute to land on Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France. As LCI-92 steamed toward the shore, it struck an underwater mine which caused the craft to burst into flames. The craft was also hit by enemy artillery fire, causing an explosion that ignited the ships fuel stores and instantly killed everyone in the troop compartment. Due to the urgency of the situation, it was impossible for others to search for survivors. Wolfe’s remains were not accounted for after the war.

Around June 10, members of the 500th Medical Collecting Company examined the wreckage of LCI-92 and noted the burnt remains of servicemen in the troop compartment, where Wolfe and others were last seen. American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, removed small amounts of remains from LCI-92 and buried them in the United States Military Cemetery (USMC) St. Laurent-sur-Mer.

Beginning in 1946, AGRC analyzed the remains found in LCI-92, segregating them into four separate Unknowns (X-53, X-83, X-83B, and X-83C). Despite their efforts, AGRC were unable to identify the Unknowns at the time and they were interred in Normandy American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Normandy, France.

Wolfe’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Wolfe will be buried in Liberal, Missouri, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (14 March 2024) that U.S. Army Air Force 2nd Lt. Robert L. E. Porter, 23, of Chicago, Illinois, killed during World War II, was accounted for Dec. 20, 2023.

In early 1944, Porter was assigned to the 703rd Bombardment Squadron, 445th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On Feb 24, 2nd Lt. Porter, the navigator onboard a B-24J “Liberator”, was killed in action when his plane was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. One of the surviving crewmembers reported seeing the plane on fire and in a steep dive, before eventually exploding on the ground. While two crewmembers survived, the others, including Porter, were killed in the incident. German forces garrisoned in the area documented the crash site north of Leimbach Bahnhof, near Bad Salzungen, Germany. After the crash, German troops recovered the remains of the ball turret gunner and buried them in a local cemetery. The other six crewmembers, including 2nd Lt. Porter, were unaccounted for following the war.

In March 1952, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, took custody of comingled unidentified remains recovered from Bad Salzungen Cemetery. These remains, X-9093 Griesheim Mausoleum (X-9093), X-9094 Griesheim Mausoleum (X-9094), and X-9095 Griesheim Mausoleum (X-9095), were believed to be those belonging to 2nd Lt. Porter’s downed aircraft. At the time, identification of these remains was not possible, and they were interred in the Ardennes America Cemetery, Belgium.

In June 2021, DPAA historians and American Battle Monuments Commission personnel, exhumed X-9093, X-9094, and X-9095 from Ardennes American Cemetery and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis and identification.

Porter’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Hombourg, Belgium, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

2nd Lt. Porter will be buried in Elmwood, Illinois, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (12 March 2024) that Radioman Third Class (RM3c) Starring B. Winfield, 22, of San Rafael, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for on June 24, 2019.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Winfield 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 RM3c Winfield.

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 Winfield.

In 2003, renewed efforts to identify the Unknowns of the USS Oklahoma began with the exhumation of one of the 46 graves containing USS Oklahoma Unknowns. In 2015, DPAA received the approval to exhume the rest of the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the NMCP, which were accessioned into the Laboratory between June and November of that year.

RM3c Winfield’s name is recorded in the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

RM3c Winfield will be buried on March 27, 2024, in Arlington National Cemetery.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (12 March 2024) that U.S. Army Pfc. Raymond U. Schlamp, 28, of Dubuque, Iowa, killed during World War II, was accounted for March 21, 2022.

In September 1944, Schlamp was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division. The unit was attempting to secure terrain near Dornot, France, known as the “Horseshoe Woods” when it came under heavy German fire. Company G was given the order to withdraw back across the Moselle River, but many men were killed during the retreat. Schlamp was among those killed, but his body could not be recovered because of the intense fighting. One year later, in September 1945, the War Department issued a “Finding of Death” as his remains were unaccounted for.

Beginning in 1947, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, searched the area around Dornot, finding several unidentified sets of American remains, but it was unable to identify any of them as Schlamp. He was declared non-recoverable on March 13, 1951.

DPAA historians have been conducting on-going research into Soldiers missing from combat around Dornot, and found that Unknown X-22 Limey (X-22), buried at Lorraine American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Limey, France, could be associated with Schlamp or four other Soldiers. X-22 was disinterred in June 2021 and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.

Schlamp’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in Dinozé, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Pfc. Schlamp will be buried on a date and location to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (25 March 2024) that U.S. Army Sgt. John O. Herrick, 19, of Emporia, Kansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 21, 2023.

In June 1944, Herrick was assigned to Company B, 149th Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theater. On June 6, “D-Day”, Herrick was aboard Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92, along with roughly 200 other servicemembers, enroute to land on Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France. As LCI-92 steamed toward the shore, it struck an underwater mine which caused the craft to burst into flames. The craft was also hit by enemy artillery fire, causing an explosion that ignited the ships fuel stores and instantly killed everyone in the troop compartment. Due to the urgency of the situation, it was impossible for others to search for survivors. Herrick’s remains were not accounted for after the war.

Around June 10, members of the 500th Medical Collecting Company examined the wreckage of LCI-92 and noted the burnt remains of servicemen in the troop compartment, where Herrick and others were last seen. American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, removed small amounts of remains from LCI-92 and buried them in the United States Military Cemetery (USMC) St. Laurent-sur-Mer.

Herrick’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Sgt. Herrick will be buried November 11, 2024, in Emporia, Kansas.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (25 March 2024) that U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. Robert Allen, 20, of Oakland, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 19, 2023.

In August of 1944, Allen was assigned to the 860th Bombardment Squadron, 493rd Bombardment Group, in the European Theater of Operations. On Aug 18, Allen was a crewmember onboard a B-24H “Liberator,” when it was struck by anti-aircraft fire after a bombing raid on a German position near Roye, France. Only one airman survived, while the other eight crew members, including Allen, were killed. German records indicate the bomber crashed roughly two kilometers west of Boussicourt, where the remains of several individuals were recovered and buried in a village cemetery near Pierrepont-sur-Avre, France.

Beginning in 1945, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the European Theater. Following the war, the AGRC disinterred and identified six sets of remains recovered from the cemetery at Pierrepont-sur-Avre. At the time they were unable to account for Allen and one other crewmember.

Allen’s name is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Neupré, Belgium, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Tech Sgt. Allen will be buried in Sacramento, California, on July 12, 2024.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (22 March 2024) that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Jimmy D. Smith, 21, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 11, 2023.

In July 1950, Smith was a member of Medical Company, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Eighth U.S. Army. He was killed in action after his unit engaged in defensive actions near Changchong-ni, Republic of Korea (South Korea), on July 30. Due to intense fighting, his body could not be recovered at that time, and there was never any evidence that he was a prisoner of war. With no further information the Army declared Smith killed in action on July 30, 1950.

In early 1951, the Army began recovering remains from the area and temporarily interred them at the United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) Pusan. One set of remains recovered during this period was designated Unknown X-340 Tanggok (X-340), recovered in the vicinity of Nae-dong, South Korea, near where Smith went missing. A tentative association was made between X-340 and Smith, but definitive proof could not be found, and X-340 was determined to be unidentifiable. The remains were sent to Hawaii where they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

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

Pfc. Smith will be buried in Kingsburg, California, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (21 March 2024) that U.S. Army Pvt. Harold O. Poulter, 23, of Charleston, Illinois, killed during World War II, was accounted for January 17, 2024.

In February 1945, Poulter was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division. His regiment was engaged in fierce fighting near the town of Biesdorf, Germany, when he was reported killed in action by small arms fire on Feb. 8. His body was unable to be recovered due to intense fighting against heavily reinforced German forces on an elevated position. Despite various recovery attempts, Pvt. Poulter’s remains were not accounted for during or after the war.

Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. In 1951, remains were recovered from a wooded area southeast of Biesdorf. Remnants of military clothing, an American helmet and ammunition were found, but no identification tags or personal effects were located. The remains were designated X-8517 Neuville and interred at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Tunisia, known today as the North Africa American Cemetery.

In September 2022, Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) personnel exhumed X-8517 Neuville for forensic analysis and comparison with unresolved soldiers known to have been lost in the Biesdorf conflict area. The remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.

Poulter’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Luxembourg American Cemetery, an ABMC site in Hamm, Luxembourg, along with the others still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Pvt. Poulter will be buried in Lerna, Illinois, on June 4, 2024.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (19 March 2024) that U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. Paul F. Eshelman Jr., 21, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2023.

In the summer of 1943, Eshelman was assigned to the 344th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, Eshelman was the radio operator onboard a B-24 Liberator bomber “Tagalong” when it was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire. The plane crashed during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. His remains were not identified following the war. The remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania.

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns from Bolovan Cemetery, and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.

In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted-for airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory for examination and identification.

Eshelman name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Eshelman will be buried in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today  (18 March 2024) that U.S. Army Pfc. Noah C. Reeves, 26, of Moulton, Alabama, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 12, 2022.

In late 1944, Reeves was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II. His battalion had been engaged with heavily fortified German forces near the town of Vossenack, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he was reported killed in action on Dec. 6. Shortly after the firefight, both sides held a temporary truce along the Kall River gorge to recover their wounded and dead. A German officer handed over Reeves’ identification tags and pay book, attesting to both his death and recovery by German forces. Members of his unit were not able to recover his body from the Germans before fighting resumed. Pfc. Reeves’ remains were not accounted for following the war.

At the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. They conducted several investigations in the Hürtgen area between 1946 and 1950, but were unable to recover or identify Reeves’ remains. He was declared non-recoverable in November 1951.

In 1948, a set of unidentified remains was discovered in the Hürtgen Forest on the heavily wooded slope of the Kall gorge near Mestrenger Mühle by a German resident. AGRC personnel investigated and recovered the remains, ultimately designating them X-5770. Based on the circumstances of the recovery, they believed this individual had died between November and December 1944, but were not able to scientifically identify the remains. X-5770 was interred in 1949 in what would be named the Ardennes American Cemetery.

Reeves’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the others still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Pfc. Reeves will be buried on a date and location yet to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (18 March 2024) that Navy Seaman 2nd Class Michael Malek, 17, of Chicago, Illinois, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Feb. 24, 2021.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Malek 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 Malek.

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 Malek.

Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.

Malek’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Malek will be buried on June 6, 2024, in the Punchbowl.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (06 June 2024) that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Harry H. Hosfelt Jr., 20, of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, missing in action during World War II, was accounted for Sep. 28, 2023.

In February 1944, PFC Hosfelt was assigned to the Company A, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. On Feb. 9, Hosfelt was killed in action when his unit was engaged by German Forces near the town of Cisterna di Latina, Italy.  His body was not recovered, and the Germans never reported him a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a finding of death on Feb. 3, 1945.

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the European Theater. In March 1945, AGRC investigators recovered a set of remains designated as X-745, near the small hamlet of Ponte Rotto thought to be associated with Hosfelt. The investigators didn’t have enough identifying data to positively ID the remains and they were interred at USMC Nettuno, which is now Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.  He was declared non-recoverable in 1948.

While studying unresolved American losses in the Anzio battlefield, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains designated X-745 recovered near Ponte Rotto possibly belonged to PFC Hosfelt. The remains which had been buried at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuna, Italy in 1948, were disinterred in September 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.

Pfc. Hosfelt’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Nettuno, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Pfc. Hosfelt will be buried in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, on June 29, 2024.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (05 June 2024) that U.S. Navy Gunners Mate First Class (GM1c) George Herbert, 37, of Fall River, Massachusetts, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Aug. 9, 2017.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Herbert 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 Herbert.

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 on Oahu.

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 GM1c Herbert.

Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.

GM1c Herbert’s name is recorded in the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

GM1c Herbert was buried on May 30, 2024, in Igo, California.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (05 June 2024) that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Bartholomew C. Loschiavo, 24, of Buffalo, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for April 2, 2024.

In October 1944, Loschiavo was assigned to Company A, 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division in the European Theater. On October 1, Loschiavo was killed in action while his unit engaged German troops near Grevenmacher, Luxembourg. A witness during the battle reported Loschiavo was struck by an enemy mortar shell, injuring his legs and abdomen. While trying to reach cover, he rolled off a terrace and disappeared into cluster of grapevines. Following the battle, company medics went back to render aid but could not locate any remains of Pfc. Loschiavo. His body remained unaccounted for during, and after the war.

On February 25, 1946, American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) recovered one set of Unknown remains, designated X-323 Hamm (X-323) from the Grevenmacher village cemetery. Local residents claimed to have discovered and buried the remains in April 1945. AGRC investigators analyzed the remains, but despite their efforts were unable to make a scientific identification at the time and they were interred in the Luxembourg American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Hamm, Luxembourg.

In 2020, the family of Loschiavo contacted DPAA to ask analysts to evaluate if X-323 might be his remains. Due to the incomplete documentation of X-323, DPAA historians had to conduct a comprehensive review of combat, including all unresolved casualties in the area where the remains were reportedly found. DPAA scientific staff then compared the biological profile data for all potential candidates to the data on file for the remains, finding that Loschiavo and two other soldiers were the most likely candidates. Following that multi-disciplinary analysis, in 2021 DPAA proposed X-323 for disinterment. That proposal was approved in July 2022, which unfortunately was too late for DPAA to add X-323 to its disinterment schedule that year.

In July 2023, the Department of Defense and ABMC officials exhumed the remains of X-323 for forensic analysis and comparison to unresolved American Soldiers in the area. The remains were transferred to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.

Pfc. Loschiavo’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Luxembourg American Cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Pfc. Loschiavo was buried in Buffalo, New York, on June 1, 2024.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (14 May 2024) that U.S. Army Pfc. Thomas A. Smith, 17 of Grant, Michigan, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 22, 2023.

In the summer of 1950, Smith was a member of 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, Company A, 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Aug. 2 when his unit took part in defensive action near Chinju at the southern end of the Korean peninsula. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered, and there is no evidence that he was ever a prisoner of war. Smith was never listed as a prisoner of war, and the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.

The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps (AGRSG) was responsible for recovering, identifying, and repatriating those lost during the Korean War.  In late 1950 they recovered a set remains designated as Unknown X-5077 Tanggok near the village of Hwagye, South Korea. After extensive analysis by the Central Identification Unit-Kokura in Japan was unable to identify X-5077 the remains were declared unidentifiable. In February 1956, the remains were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, with other Korean War Unknowns.

In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In March 2019, DPAA disinterred X-5077 as part of Phase One of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

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

Pfc Smith will be buried in Grant, Michigan, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (14 May 2024) that U.S. Army Private Cecil T. Hinson, 20, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for November 15, 2023.

In summer 1942, Hinson was a member of the Chemical Warfare Service, U.S. Army, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.

Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.  Hinson was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.

According to prison camp and other historical records, Hinson died July 28, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 215.

Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Five sets of remains from Common Grave 215 were identified, but the remaining seven were declared unidentifiable, including those of PVT Hinson. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.

In early 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 215 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Hinson’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).

Hinson will be buried in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (10 May 2024) that Navy Coxswain (Cox) Harley E. Alexander, 43, of New Madison, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Mar. 22, 2024.

On June 8, 1944, Alexander was assigned to the destroyer USS Glennon, which struck a mine off the coast of Quinnéville, France, which forced 16 sailors overboard. Ultimately, the majority of the crew had abandoned the vessel, but a few remained on board for salvage operations, including Alexander. Two days later, on June 10, the Glennon was struck by multiple artillery barrages from German forces on shore, eventually causing the ship to sink late in the evening. Following the attack, 38 sailors had been wounded and 25 were missing, including Cox Alexander. Other than the rescued sailors thrown overboard from the initial mine strike, there is not report of any recovery of other missing sailors. The remains of Cox Alexander were not accounted for and he was deemed non-recoverable on May 4, 1949.

In 1957, pieces of Glennon were hauled to shore by salvagers. A local resident was searching through the larger sections of wreckage and found human remains within the forward portion of the ship. The remains were turned over to American officials and processing determined the remains to be those of at least two individuals, subsequently designated X-9296 and X-9297. After unsuccessful efforts to identify the remains, they were interred on 4 March 1959 in Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupré, Belgium.

In 2021, DPAA researchers began an effort to associate unresolved sailors from the Glennon based on historical documentation of the remains removed from the ship’s wreckage. By August 2022, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed unknown remains X-9296 and X-9297 from Ardennes American Cemetery for comparison with unaccounted-for sailors from Glennon.

Alexander’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Cox Alexander will be buried in New Madison, Ohio, on June 29, 2024.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (06 May 2024) that Navy Fireman 1st Class (F1c) Everett C. Titterington, 21, of Milford, Iowa, killed during World War II, was accounted for on March 23, 2021.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Titterington 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 Titterington.

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 Titterington.

Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.

F1c Titterington’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

F1c Titterington will be buried on September 5, 2024, in Bloomington, California.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (06 May 2024) that U.S. Army Corporal John A. Spruell, 19, of Cortez, Colorado, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Aug. 11, 2023.

In Dec. 1950, Spruell was a member of Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing in action after his unit engaged in intensive combat actions in the vicinity of Hagaru-ri, South Korea, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. At the time the circumstances for his loss were not immediately recorded, and there was never any evidence that he was a prisoner of war. The Army issued a finding of Missing In Action on Dec. 6, 1950.

Following the war, in 1954, the opposing nations reached an agreement to exchange war dead, the execution of which was known as Operation GLORY. One set of Unknown remains, designated X-15754 OP GLORY, was reportedly recovered near the Chosin Reservoir in the vicinity of where the 57th Field Artillery Battalion were known to be fighting. A tentative association was made between X-15754 and Spruell, but definitive proof could not be found, and X-15754 was determined to be unidentifiable. The remains were sent to Hawaii where they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. On March 8, 2021, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-15754 as part of Phase Three of the Korean War Disinterment Project and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory, for analysis.

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

Cpl Spruell will be buried in Cortez, Colorado, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (10 June 2024) that Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Frank J. Tedone, 23, of Hartford, Connecticut, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Feb. 20, 2024.

In December 1943, Tedone was a member of the 436th Bombardment Squadron, 7th Bombardment Group during World War II. On Dec. 1, he was serving as a gunner onboard a B-24J Liberator bomber while on a bombing mission from Panagarh, India, to the Insein Railroad Yard north of Rangoon, Burma. After reaching the designated target, Tedone’s plane was reportedly hit by anti-aircraft fire, causing the left wing to burst into flames. Witnesses from another aircraft noted seeing Tedone’s aircraft enter a steep dive while disappearing below the clouds. It was noted that 3 enemy aircraft were also seen following the crippled plane into the clouds, and no further contact was made with the Liberator. The remains of the crew were not recovered or identified after the war, and they were all later declared Missing In Action.

In 1947 the American Grave Registration Service (AGRS) recovered the remains of what they believed to be eight individuals involved in a potential B-24 Liberator crash near Yodayadet, Burma. According to local witnesses, there were no survivors from this aviation loss and Japanese forces had instructed local villagers to bury the remains in two large graves. The AGRS designated the remains recovered from these graves as Unknowns X-505A, X-505B, X-505C, X-505D, X-505E, X-505F, X-505G, and X-505H Barrackpore (X-505A-H). The remains could not be scientifically identified at the time and were interred as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), Honolulu, Hawaii, also known as the Punchbowl.

In early 2019, DPAA received a family disinterment request for Unknown X-505A-H based on past attempts to associate the remains with other unresolved losses from southern Burma. This led DPAA historians to review the other associated Unknown Files, or X files, from the crash. The Department of Defense approved the disinterment request, and in October 2020, DPAA personnel exhumed the remains X-505 A thru H from NMCP where they were accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

SSgt. Tedone’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines, along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

SSgt. Tedone will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (09 July 2024) that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Alcario V. Flores, 37, of Coolidge, Arizona, killed during World War II, was accounted for March 1, 2024.

In January 1945, Flores was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II. Shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve 1944, German forces launched a major offensive operation in the Vosges Mountains in Alsace-Lorraine, France, known as Operation NORDWIND. The German attack surged through Allied defenses along the Franco-German border, and the ensuing battle enveloped two U.S. Corps along a 40-mile-wide front. In the following few weeks, Company G found itself assigned to a sector at Reipertswiller, known as “Hoch Ebersberg” (Mount Ebersberg). At some point on Jan 21, Pfc. Flores was killed, but due to the intensity of the fighting his body was unable to be recovered. With no record of German forces capturing Flores, and no remains recovered, the War Department issued a “Report of Death” in Jan 1946.

Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began looking for missing American personnel in the Reipertswiller and Wildenguth areas of France. At the time, they were able to recover numerous sets of remains, but none found belonged to Flores. Because the remains could not be identified, they were interred in 1949 at the U.S. Military Cemetery at St. Avold, France, known today as Lorraine American Cemetery.

Pfc. Flores’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in Dinozé, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Pfc. Flores will be buried in Tempe, Arizona, on August 3, 2024.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (10 July 2024) that U.S. Army Sgt. Sam A. Prince, 28, of Clovis, New Mexico, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for April 25, 2024.

In late 1942, Prince was a member of Headquarters Battery, 200th Coast Artillery Regiment, U.S. Army, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.

Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.  Prince was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.

According to prison camp and other historical records, Prince died Sept. 22, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 434.

Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Four of the sets of remains from Common Grave 434 were identified, while the remaining seven were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.

In April 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 434 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

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

Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Prince’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Today, Sgt. Prince is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.  A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Sgt. Prince will be buried in Clovis, New Mexico, on August 8, 2024.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (09 July 2024) that U.S. Army Pvt. William A. Smith, 21, of Syracuse, Missouri, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 21, 2023.

In June 1944, Smith was assigned to Company C, 149th Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theater. On June 6, Smith was aboard Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92, along with roughly 200 other servicemembers, enroute to land on Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France. As LCI-92 steamed toward the shore, it struck an underwater mine which caused the craft to burst into flames. The craft was also hit by enemy artillery fire, causing an explosion that ignited the ships fuel stores and instantly killed everyone in the troop compartment. Due to the urgency of the situation, it was impossible for others to search for survivors. Smith’s remains were not accounted for after the war.

Around June 10, members of the 500th Medical Collecting Company examined the wreckage of LCI-92 and noted the burnt remains of servicemen in the troop compartment, where Smith and others were last seen. American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, removed small amounts of remains from LCI-92 and buried them in the United States Military Cemetery (USMC) St. Laurent-sur-Mer.

Beginning in 1946, AGRC analyzed the remains found in LCI-92, segregating them into four separate Unknowns (X-53, X-83, X-83B, and X-83C). Despite their efforts, AGRC were unable to identify the Unknowns at the time and they were interred in Normandy American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Normandy, France.

In June and August 2021, the Department of Defense and ABMC officials exhumed the comingled remains of the four Unknowns and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.

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

Pvt. Smith’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Pvt. Smith will be buried November 11, 2024, in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (11 July 2024) that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Allan W. Knepper, 27, of Lewiston, Idaho, killed during World War II, was accounted for August 10, 2023.

In summer 1943, Knepper was a pilot with the 49th Fighter Squadron, 14th Fighter Group, in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of World War II. On July 10, Knepper departed El Bathan Airfield, Tunisia, in his P-38 “Lightning” as one of many fighter waves assigned to attack enemy forces near Caltagirone, Italy, and neutralize Axis air powers. In attempts to obstruct Axis movements from the island’s interior toward the beach where Allied forces were landing, U.S. air forces were dispatched every 30 minutes throughout the day. Knepper’s squadron encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire, and another pilot witnessed Knepper’s aircraft veer suddenly skyward before rolling halfway over and plummeting to the ground. There was no witness of any deployed parachute following the crash, and it was believed he was still in the plane when it crashed. Knepper’s remains were not recovered, and he was subsequently declared missing in action.

DPAA researchers located a German report at the U.S. National Archives, dated 10 July 1943, which reports two American “Lightning” aircraft were shot down and crashed west and southwest of Caltagirone. Between 2015 and 2023, the Department of Defense and its partners researched, investigated, and excavated a crash site near Caltagirone, recovering material evidence and remains that are believed to be associated with 2nd. Lt. Knepper. These remains were then sent to the DPAA laboratory for examination and identification.

To identify Knepper’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.

2nd Lt. Knepper’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, an ABMC site in Nettuno, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

2nd Lt. Knepper will be buried in Lewiston, Idaho, on Aug. 2, 2024.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (02 July 2024) that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Stanley J. Samoski, 22, of Manchester, New Hampshire, killed during World War II was accounted for Feb. 20, 2024.

In the summer of 1943, Samoski served with the 334th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Samoski was serving as a bombardier, crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiești, north of Bucharest, Romania. His remains were not identified following the war. The remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiești, Prahova, Romania.

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns from Bolovan Cemetery, and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.

In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted-for airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory for examination and identification.

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

2nd Lt. Samoski’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the North Africa American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Carthage, Tunisia, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

2nd Lt. Samoski will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (12 July 2024) that Army Pvt. 1st Class Luther E. Bagley, 22, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, killed during World War II, was accounted for on May 7, 2024.

In the spring and summer of 1944, Bagley was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, reinforcing the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), also known as Merrill’s Marauders. On July 25, Bagley’s battalion was engaged with Japanese forces in the Battle of Myitkyina, in Burma. It was reported he was killed in action while attempting to secure an airstrip near the village of Radhapur. His remains were not accounted for during or after the war.

In 1947, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel recovered a set of unknown remains, designated X-524 Barrackpore, in the vicinity of Myitkyina. The remains were initially examined at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, but investigators were unable to scientifically identify them. X-524 was interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In 2021, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-524 from the Punchbowl and transferred the remains to the DPAA laboratory for scientific analysis.

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

Bagley’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Taguig City, Philippines, along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

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

Bagley will be buried in Fitzgerald, Georgia, on August 10, 2024.