Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Head, H.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Harold L. Head, 20, of Browning, Missouri, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017, will be buried October 10, in Laclede, Missouri. On Dec. 7, 1941, Head 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 Head.
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 Head.
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 Head’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,810 (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Head’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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-02 17:45:582025-04-02 17:45:59Seaman 2nd Class Harold L. Head
Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Pepe, S.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from World War II are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Water Tender 1st Class Stephen Pepe, 43, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, accounted for on March 19, 2018, will be buried October 8 in Bourne, Massachusetts. On Dec. 7, 1941, Pepe 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 Pepe.
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 Pepe.
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.
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To identify Pepe’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,813 (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Pepe’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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-02 17:44:312025-04-02 17:44:33Water Tender 1st Class Stephen Pepe
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During World War II (Brown, D.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Pvt. Donald E. Brown, 24, of Thompson, Iowa, accounted for on June 20, 2018, will be buried October 6 in his hometown. In July 1944, Brown was a member of Company A, 745th Tank Battalion, fighting in support of the 1st Infantry Division in the European Theater, in World War II. Brown was killed in action on July 28, 1944, when his M-4 Sherman tank was destroyed by enemy fire near Cambernon, France.
Following the close of hostilities, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. service members who were killed in battle.
In July, 1947, an investigation located remains in a tank from Brown’s battalion. The remains, unable to be identified, were designated Unknown X-452 Blosville and were interred in Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
Following thorough research and analysis of American Soldiers missing from ground combat, as well as receiving family requests, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission disinterred X-452 in August 2017 and accessioned the remains to the DPAA laboratory.
To identify Brown’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome (Y-STR) DNA analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their partnership in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,813 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Brown’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Brittany American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Saint James, France, along with the others missing from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown in Normandy American Cemetery, Brown’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the ABMC. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-02 17:35:042025-04-02 17:35:05Pvt. Donald E. Brown
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During Korean War (Yost, E.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Sgt. Eugene W. Yost, 18, of Milaca, Minnesota, and accounted for on March 28, 2018, will be buried October 5 in Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota. In September 1950, Yost was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Yost’s regiment was responsible for defending the road from Sanju to Taegu in South Korea, and positioned themselves in bordering hills. On September 2, the unit received information that the 19th Regiment North Korea People’s Army would attack in the evening. During the night, the North Koreans overran the cavalry’s positions. Yost was last seen on Sept. 3, 1950, and was reported missing in action when he could not be accounted for.
In March 1951, remains were found in the vicinity of Tongmyongwon, South Korea, in an area that corresponded with where Yost’s regiment fought. The remains, designated Unknown X-742 Tanggok, were unable to be identified and were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
On June 12, 2017, Unknown X-742 Tanggok was disinterred from the Punchbowl and sent to the laboratory for identification.
To identify Yost’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.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their assistance in this recovery.
Today, 7,686 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North Korea by American recovery teams. Yost’s name is recorded at 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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-14201/1169.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-02 17:33:582025-04-02 17:34:00Sgt. Eugene W. Yost
Funeral Announcement For Marine Killed During World War II (Riser, M.)
WASHINGTON –
WASHINGTON— The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Merton R. Riser, 19, of Sanborn, Iowa, accounted for on June 20, will be buried September 28 in his hometown. In November 1943, Riser was a member of Company K, 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. Riser 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 Riser’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.
On Nov. 21, 2016, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-144 from the NMCP for identification.
To identify Riser’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) analysis, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,794 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Riser’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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-02 17:32:472025-04-02 17:32:49Pfc. Merton R. Riser
Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Young, R.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Seaman 1st Class Robert V. Young, 23, of Bushnell, Illinois, accounted for March 2, will be buried September 29 in Bardolph, Illinois. On Dec. 7, 1941, Young 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 Young.
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 Young.
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 Young’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,794 (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Young’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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-02 17:31:372025-04-02 17:31:39Seaman 1st Class Robert V. Young
Funeral Announcement For Pilot Killed During Vietnam War (Mellor, F.)
WASHINGTON – 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.
U.S. Air Force Reserve Col. Fredric M. Mellor, 30, of Cranston, Rhode Island, accounted for on July 13, will be buried Sept. 28, in Exeter, Rhode Island. On Aug. 13, 1965, Mellor, who was assigned to the 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, and on temporary duty with the 15th Reconnaissance Task Force, was flying the lead RF-101C aircraft in a flight of two on a mission to conduct photo and visual reconnaissance of a suspected surface to-air missile site in Son La Province, in the then-Democratic Republic of Vietnam. During the flight, hostile ground fire damaged the aircraft, causing it to crash. Mellor survived his ejection and attempted to evade the enemy. Initial radio contact was established, however contact was lost, and, despite a two-day search, neither Mellor nor his aircraft were found. He was subsequently listed as missing in action.
North Vietnamesse witnesses claimed they saw or participated in the shoot-down of an American aircraft and the capture and death of its pilot on Aug. 13, 1965.
On Nov. 22, 1991, four Vietnamese witnesses returned to the site where the pilot was allegedly killed. One witness recovered remains and personal effects and turned the evidence over to U.S. investigators.
To identify Mellor’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, anthropological and isotopic analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the government and the people of Vietnam for their partnership in this recovery.
Today there are 1,594 American servicemen and civilians who are still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. Mellor’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-02 17:31:072025-04-02 17:31:09Col. Fredric M. Mellor
Funeral Announcement For Marines Killed During Vietnam War (House, J., Killen, J., Runnels, G.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of three U.S. servicemen, accounted for from the Vietnam War, are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
They are Capt. John A. House, II, 28, of Pelham, New York; Lance Cpl. John D. Killen, III, 18, of Davenport, Iowa; and Cpl. Glyn L. Runnels, Jr., 21, of Birmingham, Alabama, all U.S. Marine Corps. These men, accounted for on Dec. 22, 2015, will be buried as a group Sept. 27, 2018 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Partial remains of two other servicemen who were lost in this incident and were individually identified in 2013, are also represented in this group. They are Marine Lance Cpl. Merlin R. Allen, 20, of Madison, Wisconsin, and Navy Hospital Corpsman Michael B. Judd, 21, of Cleveland, Ohio.
On June 30, 1967, House was the pilot of a CH-46A Sea Knight helicopter, who with three other crew members, was attempting to insert eight members of Company A, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, into hostile territory in Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam. As the helicopter approached the landing zone, it was struck by enemy fire from the surrounding tree line, causing the aircraft to catch fire and crash. Although three crew members and four of the reconnaissance patrol passengers survived and were later rescued, House, Killen, Runnels, Allen, and Judd died in the crash.
In 1993, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) team investigated the case in Thua Thein-Hue Province. The team interviewed local villagers who claimed to have discovered an aircraft crash site in 1991 in the nearby forest while searching for wood. The team surveyed the location, finding helicopter-related wreckage with no distinguishing markings.
In 2012, joint U.S./S.R.V. recovery teams excavated the crash site and recovered human remains, material evidence, life support equipment, and aircraft wreckage from the CH-46A helicopter. Additional recovery efforts in 2013 and 2014 failed to yield any additional human remains. Vietnam’s support to the U.S. accounting mission was vital to the recovery of these individuals.
DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence to identify House, Killen and Runnels individually.
DPAA is grateful to the government and people of Vietnam for their partnership in this mission.
Today, there are 1,594 American servicemen and civilians still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. House’s, Killen’s and Runnels’ names are recorded on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, and the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to their names to indicate they have been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-02 17:30:372025-04-02 17:30:39Capt. John A. House, II, Lance Cpl. John D. Killen, III, Cpl. Glyn L. Runnels, Jr.
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During World War II (Jenkins, W.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Pfc. Willard Jenkins, 27, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, accounted for on July 3, will be buried September 26 in his hometown. In September 1944, Jenkins was a member of Company C, 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion (307th AEB), 82nd Airborne Division near Nijmegen, Netherlands. On Sept. 20, 1944, while participating in Operation Market Garden, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) was ordered to cross the Waal River to make an amphibious attack on the bridges. Using borrowed British assault boats, members of the PIR crowded into boats with members of Jenkins’ battalion. According to historical reports, Jenkins operated the rudder of one of the boats, and was wounded in the chest by fire, before falling overboard. Because the area downstream of the river was controlled by enemy forces, a search could not be conducted. Jenkins was declared missing in action on Sept. 20, 1944.
Following the end of hostilities, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, was charged with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel interred in temporary American cemeteries in the European Theater of Operations during and after World War II. Jenkins’ remains were not found in any Allied cemeteries, nor in any towns bordering the Waal River, where Jenkins was lost. On Aug. 15, 1950, Jenkins was declared non-recoverable.
According to historical records, on Sept. 19, 1944, two residents of Werkendam, Netherlands were in a rowboat on the Waal River when they saw a body in the river. German soldiers stationed nearby took possession of the remains and buried them on the riverbank.
In late August 1948, an investigator from the AGRC visited the Werkendam area and inquired about the remains. The AGRC learned that a person of the Information Bureau for missing English flyers had been to Werkendam to examine the remains and determined them to be of American nationality, and had them moved to Werkendam General Cemetery. The remains were disinterred on Sept. 17, 1948 and sent to the Identification Section at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, for further analysis. The remains could not be identified and were buried as Unknown X-7838 Neuville on Oct. 1, 1948.
After thorough research and historical analysis, historians from DPAA determined that Jenkins was a strong candidate for association to the remains. On April 18, 2018, X-7838 Neuville was disinterred and sent to DPAA.
To identify Jenkins’ remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and the government of the Netherlands, as well as Mr. Frank Van Lunteren and Maj. Moffitt Burriss (Ret.) for their partnership and assistance in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,818 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Jenkins’ name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the other MIAs from WWII. Although interred as an “unknown”, his grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During Korean War (Meshulam, M.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Cpl. Morris Meshulam, 19, of Indianapolis, Indiana, accounted for on June 4, 2018, will be buried Sept. 23 in his hometown. In late November 1950, Meshulam was a member of Battery D, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Automatic Weapons,) 2nd Infantry Division. The Division suffered heavy losses to units of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) between the towns of Kunu-ri and Sunchon, North Korea. Meshulam was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950.
In February 1951, a prisoner of war returned by the CPVF reported that Meshulam died of cold weather injuries in early January 1951, but could not give a location to where Meshulam’s remains were located.
In July 1951, a Korean farmer led a U.S. Army recovery team to a grave in a field that contained the remains of a U.S. Soldier. The recovered remains were sent to the Tanggok United Nations Memorial Cemetery for possible identification. The remains, designated Unknown X-1596 were declared unidentifiable and buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In June 2016, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-1596 from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the lab for identification.
To identify Meshulam’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.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.
Today, 7,683 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North Korea by American recovery teams. Meshulam’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
Seaman 2nd Class Harold L. Head
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Oct. 3, 2018
Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Head, H.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Harold L. Head, 20, of Browning, Missouri, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017, will be buried October 10, in Laclede, Missouri. On Dec. 7, 1941, Head 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 Head.
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 Head.
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 Head’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,810 (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Head’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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
Water Tender 1st Class Stephen Pepe
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Oct. 1, 2018
Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Pepe, S.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted for from World War II are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Water Tender 1st Class Stephen Pepe, 43, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, accounted for on March 19, 2018, will be buried October 8 in Bourne, Massachusetts. On Dec. 7, 1941, Pepe 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 Pepe.
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 Pepe.
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.
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To identify Pepe’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,813 (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Pepe’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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
Pvt. Donald E. Brown
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 28, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During World War II (Brown, D.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Pvt. Donald E. Brown, 24, of Thompson, Iowa, accounted for on June 20, 2018, will be buried October 6 in his hometown. In July 1944, Brown was a member of Company A, 745th Tank Battalion, fighting in support of the 1st Infantry Division in the European Theater, in World War II. Brown was killed in action on July 28, 1944, when his M-4 Sherman tank was destroyed by enemy fire near Cambernon, France.
Following the close of hostilities, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. service members who were killed in battle.
In July, 1947, an investigation located remains in a tank from Brown’s battalion. The remains, unable to be identified, were designated Unknown X-452 Blosville and were interred in Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
Following thorough research and analysis of American Soldiers missing from ground combat, as well as receiving family requests, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission disinterred X-452 in August 2017 and accessioned the remains to the DPAA laboratory.
To identify Brown’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome (Y-STR) DNA analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their partnership in this recovery.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,813 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Brown’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Brittany American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Saint James, France, along with the others missing from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown in Normandy American Cemetery, Brown’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the ABMC. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
Sgt. Eugene W. Yost
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 28, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During Korean War (Yost, E.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Sgt. Eugene W. Yost, 18, of Milaca, Minnesota, and accounted for on March 28, 2018, will be buried October 5 in Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota. In September 1950, Yost was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Yost’s regiment was responsible for defending the road from Sanju to Taegu in South Korea, and positioned themselves in bordering hills. On September 2, the unit received information that the 19th Regiment North Korea People’s Army would attack in the evening. During the night, the North Koreans overran the cavalry’s positions. Yost was last seen on Sept. 3, 1950, and was reported missing in action when he could not be accounted for.
In March 1951, remains were found in the vicinity of Tongmyongwon, South Korea, in an area that corresponded with where Yost’s regiment fought. The remains, designated Unknown X-742 Tanggok, were unable to be identified and were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
On June 12, 2017, Unknown X-742 Tanggok was disinterred from the Punchbowl and sent to the laboratory for identification.
To identify Yost’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.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their assistance in this recovery.
Today, 7,686 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North Korea by American recovery teams. Yost’s name is recorded at 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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-14201/1169.
Pfc. Merton R. Riser
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 21, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Marine Killed During World War II (Riser, M.)
WASHINGTON –
WASHINGTON— The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Merton R. Riser, 19, of Sanborn, Iowa, accounted for on June 20, will be buried September 28 in his hometown. In November 1943, Riser was a member of Company K, 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. Riser 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 Riser’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.
On Nov. 21, 2016, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-144 from the NMCP for identification.
To identify Riser’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) analysis, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,794 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Riser’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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
Seaman 1st Class Robert V. Young
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 21, 2018
Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Young, R.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Seaman 1st Class Robert V. Young, 23, of Bushnell, Illinois, accounted for March 2, will be buried September 29 in Bardolph, Illinois. On Dec. 7, 1941, Young 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 Young.
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 Young.
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.
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To identify Young’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,794 (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Young’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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
Col. Fredric M. Mellor
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 21, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Pilot Killed During Vietnam War (Mellor, F.)
WASHINGTON – 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.
U.S. Air Force Reserve Col. Fredric M. Mellor, 30, of Cranston, Rhode Island, accounted for on July 13, will be buried Sept. 28, in Exeter, Rhode Island. On Aug. 13, 1965, Mellor, who was assigned to the 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, and on temporary duty with the 15th Reconnaissance Task Force, was flying the lead RF-101C aircraft in a flight of two on a mission to conduct photo and visual reconnaissance of a suspected surface to-air missile site in Son La Province, in the then-Democratic Republic of Vietnam. During the flight, hostile ground fire damaged the aircraft, causing it to crash. Mellor survived his ejection and attempted to evade the enemy. Initial radio contact was established, however contact was lost, and, despite a two-day search, neither Mellor nor his aircraft were found. He was subsequently listed as missing in action.
North Vietnamesse witnesses claimed they saw or participated in the shoot-down of an American aircraft and the capture and death of its pilot on Aug. 13, 1965.
On Nov. 22, 1991, four Vietnamese witnesses returned to the site where the pilot was allegedly killed. One witness recovered remains and personal effects and turned the evidence over to U.S. investigators.
To identify Mellor’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, anthropological and isotopic analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the government and the people of Vietnam for their partnership in this recovery.
Today there are 1,594 American servicemen and civilians who are still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. Mellor’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
Capt. John A. House, II, Lance Cpl. John D. Killen, III, Cpl. Glyn L. Runnels, Jr.
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 21, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Marines Killed During Vietnam War (House, J., Killen, J., Runnels, G.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of three U.S. servicemen, accounted for from the Vietnam War, are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
They are Capt. John A. House, II, 28, of Pelham, New York; Lance Cpl. John D. Killen, III, 18, of Davenport, Iowa; and Cpl. Glyn L. Runnels, Jr., 21, of Birmingham, Alabama, all U.S. Marine Corps. These men, accounted for on Dec. 22, 2015, will be buried as a group Sept. 27, 2018 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
Partial remains of two other servicemen who were lost in this incident and were individually identified in 2013, are also represented in this group. They are Marine Lance Cpl. Merlin R. Allen, 20, of Madison, Wisconsin, and Navy Hospital Corpsman Michael B. Judd, 21, of Cleveland, Ohio.
On June 30, 1967, House was the pilot of a CH-46A Sea Knight helicopter, who with three other crew members, was attempting to insert eight members of Company A, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, into hostile territory in Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam. As the helicopter approached the landing zone, it was struck by enemy fire from the surrounding tree line, causing the aircraft to catch fire and crash. Although three crew members and four of the reconnaissance patrol passengers survived and were later rescued, House, Killen, Runnels, Allen, and Judd died in the crash.
In 1993, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) team investigated the case in Thua Thein-Hue Province. The team interviewed local villagers who claimed to have discovered an aircraft crash site in 1991 in the nearby forest while searching for wood. The team surveyed the location, finding helicopter-related wreckage with no distinguishing markings.
In 2012, joint U.S./S.R.V. recovery teams excavated the crash site and recovered human remains, material evidence, life support equipment, and aircraft wreckage from the CH-46A helicopter. Additional recovery efforts in 2013 and 2014 failed to yield any additional human remains. Vietnam’s support to the U.S. accounting mission was vital to the recovery of these individuals.
DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental analysis, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence to identify House, Killen and Runnels individually.
DPAA is grateful to the government and people of Vietnam for their partnership in this mission.
Today, there are 1,594 American servicemen and civilians still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. House’s, Killen’s and Runnels’ names are recorded on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, and the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. A rosette will be placed next to their names to indicate they have been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
Pfc. Willard Jenkins
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 19, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During World War II (Jenkins, W.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Pfc. Willard Jenkins, 27, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, accounted for on July 3, will be buried September 26 in his hometown. In September 1944, Jenkins was a member of Company C, 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion (307th AEB), 82nd Airborne Division near Nijmegen, Netherlands. On Sept. 20, 1944, while participating in Operation Market Garden, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) was ordered to cross the Waal River to make an amphibious attack on the bridges. Using borrowed British assault boats, members of the PIR crowded into boats with members of Jenkins’ battalion. According to historical reports, Jenkins operated the rudder of one of the boats, and was wounded in the chest by fire, before falling overboard. Because the area downstream of the river was controlled by enemy forces, a search could not be conducted. Jenkins was declared missing in action on Sept. 20, 1944.
Following the end of hostilities, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, was charged with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel interred in temporary American cemeteries in the European Theater of Operations during and after World War II. Jenkins’ remains were not found in any Allied cemeteries, nor in any towns bordering the Waal River, where Jenkins was lost. On Aug. 15, 1950, Jenkins was declared non-recoverable.
According to historical records, on Sept. 19, 1944, two residents of Werkendam, Netherlands were in a rowboat on the Waal River when they saw a body in the river. German soldiers stationed nearby took possession of the remains and buried them on the riverbank.
In late August 1948, an investigator from the AGRC visited the Werkendam area and inquired about the remains. The AGRC learned that a person of the Information Bureau for missing English flyers had been to Werkendam to examine the remains and determined them to be of American nationality, and had them moved to Werkendam General Cemetery. The remains were disinterred on Sept. 17, 1948 and sent to the Identification Section at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, for further analysis. The remains could not be identified and were buried as Unknown X-7838 Neuville on Oct. 1, 1948.
After thorough research and historical analysis, historians from DPAA determined that Jenkins was a strong candidate for association to the remains. On April 18, 2018, X-7838 Neuville was disinterred and sent to DPAA.
To identify Jenkins’ remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and the government of the Netherlands, as well as Mr. Frank Van Lunteren and Maj. Moffitt Burriss (Ret.) for their partnership and assistance in this mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,818 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Jenkins’ name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the other MIAs from WWII. Although interred as an “unknown”, his grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.
Cpl. Morris Meshulam
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 14, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During Korean War (Meshulam, M.)
WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Cpl. Morris Meshulam, 19, of Indianapolis, Indiana, accounted for on June 4, 2018, will be buried Sept. 23 in his hometown. In late November 1950, Meshulam was a member of Battery D, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Automatic Weapons,) 2nd Infantry Division. The Division suffered heavy losses to units of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) between the towns of Kunu-ri and Sunchon, North Korea. Meshulam was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950.
In February 1951, a prisoner of war returned by the CPVF reported that Meshulam died of cold weather injuries in early January 1951, but could not give a location to where Meshulam’s remains were located.
In July 1951, a Korean farmer led a U.S. Army recovery team to a grave in a field that contained the remains of a U.S. Soldier. The recovered remains were sent to the Tanggok United Nations Memorial Cemetery for possible identification. The remains, designated Unknown X-1596 were declared unidentifiable and buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In June 2016, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-1596 from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the lab for identification.
To identify Meshulam’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.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.
Today, 7,683 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North Korea by American recovery teams. Meshulam’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.