Disappearance of two Madison airmen in 1953 remains a mystery

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
November 20, 2018

Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Harry H. Gaver, Jr., 24

Soldier Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
November 19, 2018

Army Pfc. Leo J. Duquette, 19,

 Army Pfc. John W. Martin, 23, of Saratoga, New York. Martin was accounted for.

In late November 1950, Martin was a member of Medical 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.

Martin was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after he was last seen near the Chosin Reservoir.

Martin’s name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists, and no returning prisoners of war reported that he had been captured. Based on this information, he was declared deceased as of Dec. 31, 1951. In 1956, his remains were declared non-recoverable.

In September 2001, during the 25th Joint Recovery Operation, a burial site located at the Chosin Reservoir, in the vicinity of where Martin’s unit fought during the war, was excavated. The remains were accessioned to the DPAA laboratory for identification. 

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

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
November 16, 2018

Navy Reserve Ensign Charles M. Stern, Jr. 26

Navy Reserve Ensign Charles M. Stern, Jr., 26,  Albany, New York killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for.

Enlisted in the Navy. Entered via Reserve Military. Served during World War II. Stern had the rank of Ensign. Occupation or specialty was Ensign and Served with USS Oklahoma.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Stern 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 Stern. 

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

Stern’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.

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
November 16, 2018

Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class Ulis C. Steely

Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class Ulis C. Steely, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Steely 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 Steely. 

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

Steely’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.

Navy Fireman 1st Class Albert U. Kane, 26

Navy Fireman 1st Class Albert U. Kane, 26, of Fort Worth, Texas, accounted for, will be buried December 7 in Dallas. On Dec. 7, 1941, Kane 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 Kane.

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 Kane.

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 Kane’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA(Y-STR) analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.

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

Marine Corps Pfc. Clarence E. Drumheiser, 21

Marine Corps Pfc. Clarence E. Drumheiser, 21, of Fresno, California, accounted for, will be buried December 8 in Prairie View, Texas. In November 1943, Drumheiser was assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th 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.

Drumheiser 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 Drumheiser’s remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In October 2016, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-025 from the NMCP for identification.

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

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
November 15, 2018

Navy Fireman 2nd Class Carl D. Dorr, 27

Navy Fireman 2nd Class Carl D. Dorr, 27, of Anderson, South Carolina, and accounted for, will be buried December 7 in Greenville, South Carolina. On Dec. 7, 1941, Dorr 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 Dorr.

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 Dorr.

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

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

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Nicholas J. Gojmerac,

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Nicholas J. Gojmerac, killed during World War II, was accounted for.

In July 1943, Gojmerac was a member of Company Q, 4th Raider Battalion, 1st Marine Raider Regiment, when his unit assaulted a Japanese stronghold at Bairoko Harbor, New Georgia Island, Solomon Islands.

He was reported missing in action on July 20, 1943, after he was last seen crawling through heavy fire to provide medical care to an injured Marine while he was mortally wounded himself. 

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

Gojmerac’s name is recorded on the Walls of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. 

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
November 15, 2018

Navy Seaman 1st Class William G. Bruesewitz, 26

Navy Seaman 1st Class William G. Bruesewitz, 26, of Appleton, Wisconsin, accounted for, will be buried December 7 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. On Dec. 7, 1941, Bruesewitz 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 Bruesewitz.

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 Bruesewitz.

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

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
November 15, 2018

Navy Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Durell Wade, 24

Navy Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Durell Wade, (also known as Durrell Wade) 24, of Calhoun City, Mississippi, accounted for, will be buried December 7 in the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery. On Dec. 7, 1941, Wade 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 Wade.

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 Wade.

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 identification.

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

Soldier Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
November 14, 2018

Army Pvt. Robert J. Sipes, Jr., 19

Army Pvt. Robert J. Sipes, Jr., 19, of Irvington, Kentucky, accounted for, will be buried December 5 in his hometown. In November 1950, Sipes was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was killed in action on Nov. 30, 1950, during heavy fighting between the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) and the 7th Cavalry Regiment near the village of Unsan, North Korea. His remains were processed through a 7th Cavalry Regiment Collection Station on Dec. 1, 1950, and interred at the United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) Pyongyang, on Dec. 2, 1950.

On Aug. 17, 1954, the United Nations Command (UNC) and North Korea, along with the CPVF, reached an agreement regarding the recovery and return of war dead. The agreement, known as Operation Glory, resulted in the turnover of 4,200 sets of remains to the UNC, including more than 400 sets reportedly disinterred from Pyongyang. One set of remains, designated N-16678 could not be identified, and were subsequently interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu (known as the Punchbowl), as an Unknown.

In June 2017, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-16678 for identification.

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

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
November 14, 2018

Navy Fireman 2nd Class Martin A. Gara, 20

Navy Fireman 2nd Class Martin A. Gara, 20, of Chicago, accounted for, will be buried December 4 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. On Dec. 7, 1941, Gara 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 Gara.

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 Gara.

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 Gara’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.

Soldier killed From World War II Accounted For
November 14, 2018

Navy Reserve Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class John O. Morris

Navy Reserve Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class John O. Morris, killed during World War II, was accounted for.

In late 1943, Morris was a member of Carrier Aircraft Service Unit (CASU) 17. In November 1943, American units 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. Following the battle, the majority of units withdrew from the island, leaving only the chaplains and a defense garrison, including a series of U.S. Navy Construction Battalion, Seabee, units.

CASU 17 was among those stationed on the island. On Dec. 16, 1943, Morris was killed during the test-firing of a machine gun. The weapon accidentally discharged, killing Morris. He was buried on the island, in Cemetery #33.

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

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

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
November 13, 2018

Marine Corps Reserve Staff Sgt. Richard J. Murphy, Jr., 26

Marine Corps Reserve Staff Sgt. Richard J. Murphy, Jr., 26, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, accounted for, will be buried December 1in Silver Spring, Maryland. On June 15, 1944, Murphy was a member of 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed at Red Beach, Saipan, when American forces participated in the battle for the island of Saipan, part of a larger operation to secure the Mariana Islands. Reports provide little information of what happened to Murphy after landing on Saipan, and he was declared missing in action as of June 15, 1944. On May 22, 1945, his status was amended to killed in action.

The American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, was charged with recovery and identification of fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater. Following the war, the island of Saipan fell under the AGRS Mariana-Bonin Islands Command. In 1947, Saipan was chosen as the location for the consolidation of remains from the entire sector, which included cemeteries on Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Guam and Tinian. Divisional cemeteries on Saipan were untouched until their official repatriation to Manila in 1948. Remains that could not be identified were interred in the Manila American Cemetery, as “Unknowns,” including one set, designated X-15.

After a thorough historical and scientific analysis, it was determined that X-15 could likely be identified. On Oct. 18, 2017, X-15 was disinterred from Manila American Cemetery and sent to the laboratory for analysis.

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

Navy Fireman 1st Class Bert E. McKeeman, 25,

Navy Fireman 1st Class Bert E. McKeeman, 25, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, accounted for will be buried December 1 in his hometown. On Dec. 7, 1941, McKeeman 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 McKeeman. 

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 McKeeman.

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

Navy Molder First Class Kenneth B. Armstrong, 36, of Seattle,  will be buried November 30 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. On Dec. 7, 1941, Armstrong 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 Armstrong. 

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 Armstrong.

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

Airman killed From World War II Accounted For
November 7, 2018

Army Air Forces Pfc. Joseph I. Natvik, 20

Army Air Forces Pfc. Joseph I. Natvik, 20, of Madison, Wisconsin, will be buried November 25 in Columbus, Wisconsin. On July 17, 1945, Natvick, a member of the 1330 Army Air Force Base Unit, Air Transport Command, was the engineer on board a C-109 aircraft, en route from Jorhat, India, to Hsinching, China, over “The Hump,” when the aircraft crashed in a remote area. All four passengers were declared deceased after an extensive search effort failed to locate the crash site.

In late 2007, an independent investigator, Clayton Kuhles, discovered aircraft wreckage in a deep ravine at a high altitude that correlated with Natvik’s aircraft. Possible osseous remains were recovered and turned over to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (a predecessor to DPAA).

In February 2009, a contracted group traveled to the reported crash site and confirmed the location of the aircraft wreckage. Also in 2009, a local resident in India turned over additional bone fragments he had taken from the crash site.

One set of remains was identified on Feb. 9, 2016 as the co-pilot, 1st Lt. Frederick W. Langhorst, 24, of Yonkers, New York. Langhorst was buried Nov. 26, 2016, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Another set of remains was identified Sept. 24, 2018, as Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Allen R. Turner, 25, of Brookline, Massachusetts.

To identify Natvik’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
November 7, 2018

Marine Corps Sgt. Dwight W. Randall, 22,

Marine Corps Sgt. Dwight W. Randall, 22, of Fresno, California, accounted for on September 13, will be buried November 20 in his hometown. In November 1943, Randall was a member of Company C, 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion, 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.

 Randall 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. 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 Randall’s remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, including one set, designated as Tarawa Unknown X-162.

On March 27, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-162 from the NMCP for identification.

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

Navy Seaman 1st Class Kirby R. Stapleton, 23, Clinton, Mo. killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Stapleton 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 Stapleton. 

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.

Stapleton'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 Pvt. Charles G. Kaniatobe, 21,

Army Pvt. Charles G. Kaniatobe, 21, of Idabel, Oklahoma, accounted for Sept. 13, 2018, will be buried November 17 in his hometown. In July 1950, Kaniatobe was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, engaged in combat operations against the North Korean People’s Army near Chonui, South Korea. Kaniatobe could not be accounted-for and was declared missing in action on July 10, 1950.

In December 1953, based on a lack of information regarding his status, Kaniatobe was declared deceased. In January 1956, he was declared non-recoverable. No list provided by the Chinese or North Koreans reported Kaniatobe as a POW, and no returning American POWs reported him as a POW.

In early October 1950, a Graves Registration Team attached to Kaniatobe’s regiment recovered the remains of 164 Americans from the area between Chonui and Choch’iown. On Oct. 6, 1950, a set of unidentified remains, designated Unknown X-173 and recovered in the vicinity of Choch’iwon were interred by the U.S. Army in present-day United Nations Military Cemetery Taejou. 

In March 1952, Unknown X-173 was exhumed and transferred to the U.S. Army Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan for identification. When an identification could not be made, the remains were reburied as Unknown X-173 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Hawaii.

On Oct. 16 2017, Unknown X-173 was disinterred from the Punchbowl and sent to the laboratory for analysis.

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

Soldier Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
November 1, 2018

Army Cpl. Frederick E. Coons

Army Cpl. Frederick E. Coons, Buchanan County, Missouri was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.

On July 29, 1950, Coons was declared missing action in the vicinity of Geochang, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, when he couldn’t be accounted for after a unit withdrawal action to set up a roadblock against North Korean Forces. 

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

Coons’ 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 World War II Accounted For
November 1, 2018

Army Staff Sgt. Karl R. Loesche, 22,

Army Staff Sgt. Karl R. Loesche, 22, of Monroeville, New Jersey, accounted for, will be buried November 17 in Elmer, New Jersey. On Dec. 8, 1941, Loesche was a member of the 3rd Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of Bataan on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor on May 6, 1942. 

Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were taken prisoner; including many who were forced to endure the Bataan Death March, en route to Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camps, including the POW camp at Cabanatuan on the island of Luzon. Loesche was among those reported captured after the surrender of Corregidor and who were eventually moved to the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the remaining years of the war. 

According to prisoner records, Loesche died on Nov. 16, 1942, and was buried along with fellow prisoners in the Cabanatuan POW camp cemetery. 

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 cemetery near Manila. In December 1946, AGRS again exhumed the remains at the Manila cemetery in an attempt to identify them. Due to the circumstances of the POW deaths and burials, the extensive commingling, and the limited identification technologies of the time, all of the remains could not be individually identified. One set of remains, designated X-882, was reburied as an Unknown in the present-day Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

On Nov. 2, 2016, after thorough historical and scientific analysis, X-882 was disinterred from the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. The remains were subsequently sent to DPAA for identification. 

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

Navy Fireman 1st Class Gerald H. Pirtle, 19, of El Dorado, Kansas, accounted for, will be buried November 17 in Wichita, Kansas. On Dec. 7, 1941, Pirtle 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 Pirtle. 

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 Pirtle.

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 Pirtle’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) analysis, which matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which matched his records.

Army Pfc. Mathis O. Ball, Jr., 20, of Collin County, Texas, accounted for Aug. 14, 2018, will be buried November 18 in Bokchito, Oklahoma. In July 1950, Ball was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, engaged in combat operations against North Korean forces near Choch’iwon, South Korea. Ball could not be accounted-for and was declared missing in action on July 12, 1950.

In December 1953, based on a lack of information regarding his status, Ball was declared deceased. In January 1956, he was declared non-recoverable.

On Oct. 4, 1950, a set of unidentified remains was recovered from an isolated grave in the vicinity of Choch’iwon, South Korea, in an area corresponding to where Ball’s unit engaged in battle. The remains, designated X-91, were processed for identification, but a match could not be made. The remains were interred in American Cemetery No. 1, later renamed to United Nations Military Cemetery Taejon.

From October 1950 to September 1951, the American Graves Registration Service attempted to associate Unknown X-91 with a U.S. Soldier. When a possible association could not be made, the remains were declared unidentifiable and X-91 was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu as an Unknown.

On Oct. 2 2017, Unknown X-91 was disinterred from the Punchbowl and sent to the laboratory for analysis.

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

Soldier killed From World War II Accounted For
October 30, 2018

Army Sgt. Eugene G. McBride, 20

Army Sgt. Eugene G. McBride, 20, of Lincoln, Nebraska, accounted for, will be buried November 14 in his hometown. In January 1945, McBride was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 311th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division. On Jan. 30, 1945, while engaged in an attack against enemy forces near Huppenbroich, Germany, McBride was killed by a blast from an enemy artillery shell. His remains were not identified by American forces after the battle.

On Feb. 18, 1945, Army officials at United States Military Cemetery Margraten processed unidentified remains of a Soldier who had reportedly been killed near Huppenbroich, Germany. The remains, designated X-90 Margraten, had no identification tags and were subsequently buried at the cemetery as an unknown soldier.

After the war, the American Graves Registration Command traveled to Huppenbroich and extensively searched the Hürtgen Forest, to locate McBride’s and another soldier’s remains. In 1949, American Graves Registration Command officials pursued the possibility of an association between X-90 Margraten and McBride. However, a positive identification could not be made and the remains were interred at the Rhone American Cemetery in France, on Jan. 7, 1952.

Unable to make a correlation with any remains found in the area, he was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 7, 1952. 

In 2016, based upon a comprehensive study of unresolved American losses of the Hürtgen Forest, the original recovery location of the remains, and evidence from the personal effects recovered with X-90 Margraten, a DPAA historian determined that there was a likely association between the remains and McBride. 

In June 2017, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission disinterred X-90 and accessioned the remains to the DPAA laboratory for identification

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

Soldier Killed During the Korean War Accounted For
October 30, 2018

Army Cpl. Albert E. Mills, 20,

Army Cpl. Albert E. Mills, 20, of Dallas, accounted for, will be buried November 12 in his hometown. In July 1950, Mills was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, blocking the Korean People’s Army from advancing along a corridor linking the cities of Taejon and Taegu. South Korea. On July 23, 1950, enemy forces attacked American defenses at Yongdong. Mills was reported missing in action on July 25, 1950, as a result of the fighting, when he could not be accounted for by his unit. 

On March 28, 1950, based in information provided by a local witness, an American Graves Registration Search and Recovery team recovered two sets of remains from a mountain near Yongdong. The remains, designated X-851 and X-852, were interred in the United Nation’s Military Cemetery (UNMC) Tanggok in April 1951. 

In an effort to support identification attempts, remains recovered throughout South Korea were sent to the Central Identification Command in Kokura, Japan, for identification. While X-851 was positively identified, X-852 could not be associated with any missing service members. The remains were subsequently transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu and buried as a Korean Unknown.

On April 9, 2018, DPAA disinterred “X-852 Tanggok” from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the laboratory for identification.

To identify Mills’ remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological, and chest radiograph comparison analysis which; as well as circumstantial evidence.

Soldier killed From World War II Accounted For
October 30, 2018

Army Pfc. Morris R. Worrell, 20,

Army Pfc. Morris R. Worrell, 20, of Wisner, Nebraska, accounted for, will be buried October 10 in his hometown. Worrell was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of the Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942. Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were taken prisoner; including many who were forced to endure the Bataan Death March, en route to Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camps, including the POW camp at Cabanatuan on the island of Luzon, Philippines.

Worrell was among those reported captured after the surrender of Corregidor and who were eventually moved to the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the remaining years of the war.

Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were taken prisoner; including many who were forced to endure the Bataan Death March, en route to Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camps, including the POW camp at Cabanatuan on the island of Luzon, Philippines. Worrell was among those reported captured after the surrender of Corregidor and who were eventually moved to the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the remaining years of the war. 

According to prisoner records, Worrell died on Sept. 27, 1942, and was buried along with fellow prisoners in the local Cabanatuan camp cemetery. 

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 cemetery near Manila. In late 1947, the AGRS again exhumed the remains at the Manila cemetery in an attempt to identify them. Due to the circumstances of the POW deaths and burials, the extensive commingling, and the limited identification technologies of the time, all of the remains could not be individually identified. The unidentified remains were reburied as unknowns in the present-day Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

In May 2016, the Secretary of the Army granted permission to exhume six graves associated with the Cabanatuan Common Grave 439. On May 11, 2016, the remains were sent to DPAA for identification. 
To identify Worrell’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. 

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
October 30, 2018

Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Fred E. Freet, 17

Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Fred E. Freet, 17, Bartholomew, Indiana killed during World War II, was accounted for.

In November 1943, Freet was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th 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.

Freet died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943, during the first waves of the assault.

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

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

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
October 29, 2018

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Joe Lukie, 19,

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Joe Lukie, 19, of Harvey, West Virginia, accounted for on Sept. 5, 2017, was buried October 27, in Oak Hill, West Virginia. In November 1943, Lukie was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd 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.

Lukie 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. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Lukie’s remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu.

In November 2013, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (now DPAA) team conducted investigations at a disturbed cemetery site on the Island of Betio, recovering material evidence and osseous remains, which were sent to DPAA for analysis.

On April 3, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-201 from the NMCP, sent them to the laboratory for analysis and consolidated them with previously collected remains.

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

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. William E. Brandenburg,

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. William E. Brandenburg, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for.

In November 1943, Brandenburg was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 2nd 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. Brandenburg died on the third day of the battle, Nov. 22, 1943.

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

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

Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Martin F. O’Callaghan, Jr., 22,

Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Martin F. O’Callaghan, Jr., 22, of Memphis, Tennessee, accounted for on April 24, 2018, will be buried November 5 in his hometown. In February 1945, O’Callaghan was a pilot with the 96th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group, on a mission to strafe targets near Maribor, Yugoslavia, now Slovenia. While attacking locomotives near a railway station, O’Callaghan’s P-38 Lightning aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire. He radioed his squadron-mates to say that he might attempt to bail out of the aircraft, however, according to witnesses, he attempted to land the aircraft in a field southeast of Maribor. As he was attempting to land, the aircraft inverted, crashed and burst into flames. Because Yugoslavia was an occupied territory at the time, no immediate search for his remains could be conducted.

In July 1947, a team from the American Graves Registration Service office in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, traveled to the village of Cirkovce to investigate a report that a U.S. service member had been buried there during the war. The local government, the People’s Committee of Ptuj, told the AGRS that a Lightning aircraft crashed near Cirkovce after being shot down. According to locals, the pilot was killed in the crash and his remains were buried in the cemetery at Cirkovce. The remains were designated Unknown X-36 and buried in the U.S. Military Cemetery at Belgrade. 

In 1948, based on serial number association, X-36 was recommended for possible identification. However, the evidence was not conclusive and in April 1949, Unknown X-36 was interred at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, in Nettuno, Italy.

In May 2016, based on thorough research and historical analysis, an investigation was initiated linking O’Callaghan’s remains to X-36. On March 16, 2017, the remains of Unknown X-36 Belgrade were disinterred and accessioned to the DPAA laboratory.

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

Army Pvt. Robert J. Sipes, Jr., 19, Breckinridge County, Kentucky, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for.

In November 1950, Sipes was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was killed in action on Nov. 30, 1950, during heavy fighting between the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) and the 7th Cavalry Regiment near the village of Unsan, North Korea. His remains were processed through a 7th Cavalry Regiment Collection Station on Dec. 1, 1950, and interred at the United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) Pyongyang, on Dec. 2, 1950.

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

Sipes’ 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 West Virginia Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
October 25, 2018

Navy Fireman 1st Class Angelo M. Gabriele,

Navy Fireman 1st Class Angelo M. Gabriele, New York, NY, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Gabriele was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS West Virginia sustained multiple torpedo hits, but timely counter-flooding measures taken by the crew prevented it from capsizing, and it came to rest on the shallow harbor floor. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Gabriele. 

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.

Gabriele'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 World War II Accounted For
October 23, 2018

Army Sgt. James K. Park, 20,

Army Sgt. James K. Park, 20, of Beaumont, Texas, accounted for, will be buried October 27 in Barry, Texas. In November 1944, Park was a member of Company I, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, engaged in fierce fighting within the Hürtgen Forest in Germany. Park was reported missing in action on Nov. 23, 1944, when he was believed to have been wounded by shrapnel. Due to continuous enemy fire, Soldiers from Park’s company were prevented from searching for him. Additionally, no graves registration teams reported finding his remains. Due to no information regarding his whereabouts, his status was amended to deceased as of Nov. 24, 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. None of the remains that were found could be associated with Park by AGRC technicians, and his remains were declared non-recoverable.

In December 1946, AGRC personnel recovered an unidentified set of remains from a civilian cemetery at Langerwehe, Germany, on the northern edge of the Hürtgen Forest. German locals said the remains were originally found by a local resident on Aug. 1, 1946 near the estate of Jüngersdorf in the forest. Following the recovery, the remains were processed at the Central Identification Point at Neuville, Belgium, and buried as an unknown, labeled X-4731 Neuville.

Following thorough research and analysis of American Soldiers missing from ground combat within Germany’s Hürtgen Forest, a DPAA historian concluded that there was a possible association between X-4731 and Park. The remains were disinterred on June 28, 2017 and the remains were sent to the DPAA for analysis.

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

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
October 23, 2018

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Paul D. Gilman, 19,

Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Paul D. Gilman, 19, of Belen, New Mexico, accounted for on May 17, 2018, will be buried October 26 in his hometown. 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.

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 the case of Gilman, records indicate his remains were recovered and were buried in Division Cemetery #3, which was later renamed Cemetery #27. In 1946 the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company (604th GRC) centralized all of the American remains found on Betio Island to Lone Palm Cemetery for later repatriation; however, almost half of the known casualties from the battle were not found., Gilman’s remains were among those not recovered. On Oct. 14, 1949, a military review board declared Gilman’s remains non-recoverable.

In May and 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. Subsequent recoveries in November 2015 and February 2016 resulted in additional remains. The remains were turned over to DPAA in June 2016.

To identify Gilman’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.

Merchant Marine Wiper Elvis N. Spotts, 19, Kansas, Mo. was killed during World War II, was accounted for.

In February 1944, Spotts was a crew member of the SS Cape Isabel, part of a convoy of three ships including the USS Grayson and the SS Cape Fear. On Feb. 22, 1944, the ships were approximately 12 miles off the coast of Tarawa Atoll. The two Merchant Marine vessels were bringing supplies to Betio Island. Spotts was electrocuted during bilge maintenance. He was unable to be revived.

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

Marine killed From World War II Accounted For
October 23, 2018

Marine Corps Sgt. Dwight W. Randall,

Marine Corps Sgt. Dwight W. Randall, Fresno, Ca. killed during World War II, was accounted for.

In November 1943, Randall was a member of Company C, 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion, 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.

Randall died on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943.

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

Randall'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.

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
October 19, 2018

Navy Fireman 1st Class Grant C. Cook, Jr., 20

Sailor Killed From Vietnam War Accounted For
October 17, 2018

U.S. Civilian Killed From Vietnam War Accounted For
October 17, 2018

Mr. George L. Ritter, 49

Soldier killed From World War II Accounted For
October 15, 2018

Army Pvt. John B. Cummings, 22,

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
October 12, 2018

Navy Fireman 2nd Class George C. Ford. 25,

USS Oklahoma Sailor killed From World War II Accounted For
October 9, 2018

Navy Chief Warrant Officer John A. Austin, 36

Pilot Killed From Vietnam War Accounted For
October 4, 2018

Navy Reserve Cmdr. Charles B. Goodwin, 25,

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.

Navy Reserve Cmdr. Charles B. Goodwin, 25, of Haskell, Texas, accounted for, will be buried October 12 in Abilene, Texas. On Sept. 8, 1965, Goodwin was the pilot of an RF-8A aircraft, assigned to Detachment D, VPF-63, CVW-15, when he launched from the USS Coral Sea, scheduled for a combat photo mission over the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now Socialist Republic of Vietnam.) At the time of the early-morning flight, numerous intense thunderstorms were reported between the USS Coral Sea and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Fifteen minutes after launching, Goodwin reported that he had encountered thunderstorms en route to the target area. That was the last transmission heard from him. Search efforts over the target area and adjacent coastal waters were unsuccessful, no emergency radio signals were heard, and no aircraft wreckage was sighted. Goodwin was declared missing in action as of Sept. 8, 1965. 

In February 1988, a Vietnamese refugee provided information regarding the location of possible human remain and material evidence, including identification media correlated to Goodwin. 

Between April 1993 and December 2016, multiple attempts were made by the Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) and Joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams to locate the crash site, but attempts were unsuccessful. In December 2016, a Joint Forensic Review team received possible human remains that had been in the possession of a Vietnamese national. The remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

In the identification of Goodwin, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstantial evidence.