Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Ogle, C.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted for from World War II are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Fireman 1st Class Charles R. Ogle, 20, of Mountain View, Missouri, will be buried February 12 in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri. On Dec. 7, 1941, Ogle 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 Ogle.
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 Ogle.
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 Ogle’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, which matched family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis.
DPAA is grateful to the 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 72,961 (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Ogle’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing the NMCP 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.
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 00:38:522025-04-02 00:38:53Fireman 1st Class Charles R. Ogle
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Missing From The Korean War (Shepard, O.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Sgt. Ollie E. Shepard, 22, of Hugo, Oklahoma, will be buried February 7 in the Bradley, Oklahoma. In late November, 1950, Shepard was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 31st 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. The American forces withdrew south with the Chinese attacks continuing. By December 6, the U.S. Army evacuated approximately 1,500 wounded service members; the remaining soldiers had been either captured, killed or missing in enemy territory. Because Shepard could not be accounted for by his unit at the end of the battle, he was reported missing in action as of Dec. 3, 1950.
Shepard’s name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists and no repatriated Americans reported Shepard as a prisoner of war. Due to the prolonged lack of evidence, the U.S. Army declared him deceased on Dec. 31, 1953.
In September 2004, a joint U.S. and Korean People’s Army (KPA) recovery team conducted a Joint Recovery Operation at a burial site in the vicinity of Twikkae Village, Changjin District, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea, on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir. The site is consistent with the 31st RCT’s location during their withdrawal. Material evidence and human remains were recovered and sent to DPAA for analysis.
To identify Shepard’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and material evidence.
Today, 7,712 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. Shepard’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
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.
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 00:37:002025-04-02 00:37:02Sgt. Ollie E. Shepard
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed In Korean War (Cushman, R.)
The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, recently accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Richard G. Cushman, 18, of Springville, Utah, will be buried February 3, in Cypress, California. In late November 1950, Cushman was assigned to Company A, 72nd Medium tank Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, on the western side of the Korean Peninsula, when the Division encountered waves of attacks by the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF.) The attack caused the Division to withdraw to the village of Kunu-ri. While in the village, a task force comprised of Cushman’s company and an infantry platoon were ordered to destroy a roadblock and eliminate enemy troops. The CPVF overwhelmingly attacked the unit and by the end of battle, Cushman could not be accounted for. He was reported missing in action as of Dec. 5, 1950.
Following the war, no lists provided by the CPVF or Korean People’s Army (KPA) listed Cushman as a prisoner of war, however two returning American prisoners reported that Cushman had died while being held by the CPVF. Based on this information, the U.S. Army declared him deceased as of March 31, 1951.
In July and August 2002, a joint U.S. and KPA recovery team conducted a Joint Recovery Operation at a site, designated KN-0874, in Ung Bong Village, North Korea. Based on information provided by Korean witnesses, Mr. Man Hyon Ho, and Mr. Anh Il Chang, the site was excavated and possible human remains were recovered, along with personal effects and material evidence, all of which was sent to the DPAA laboratory for processing.
To identify Cushman’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, which matched his family, as well as anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence, which matched his records.
DPAA is grateful to Mr. Man Hyon Ho and Mr. Anh Il Chang for their assistance in this mission.
Today, 7,712 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using advances in technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously turned over by North Korean officials or recovered by American teams. Cushman’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) 699-1420.
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 00:35:532025-04-02 00:35:54Sgt. 1st Class Richard G. Cushman
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During WWII (Lobdell, L.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, has been identified and is being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Pfc. Lloyd J. Lobdell, 23, of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, will be buried February 2, in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. On Dec. 8, 1941, Lobdell was a member of Company A, 192nd Tank Battalion, in the Far East, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands. Intense fighting continued until May 6. 1942, when American forces on Corregidor Island surrendered.
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. Lobdell 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.
Lobdell was admitted to the Cabanatuan Prison Camp Hospital suffering from illness. He died Nov. 19, 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 American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery at Fort McKinley in Manila, Philippines.
In 2014, the Secretary of the Army granted permission to exhume ten graves associated with the Cabanatuan Common Grave 717. On August 28, 2014, the remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Lobdell’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which matched his records.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission 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 72,961 service members still unaccounted for from World War II. Lobdell’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery site 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.
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 00:34:272025-04-02 00:34:29Pfc. Lloyd J. Lobdell
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During World War II (Sconiers, E.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, 27, of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, will be buried January 27 in his hometown. On Oct. 21, 1942, Sconiers was a member of the 414th Bombardment Squadron, 97th Bombardment Group, serving as the bombardier on the B-17F Flying Fortress, during a mission to bomb the German U-boat pens at Lorient, France. During the attack, the aircraft received severe damage, but the entire crew parachuted safely, landing in water near Brest, France, where they were picked up by a French fishing vessel and turned over to German forces as prisoners of war. The Americans were sent to Dulag Luft in Oberusal, Germany, for interrogation, and on Nov. 11, 1942, Sconiers was transferred to Stalag Luft II in Sagan, Germany (present-day Zagan, Poland), where he remained until Jan. 9, 1944.
Sconiers was admitted to the camp hospital in early January after exhibiting erratic behavior and complaining of severe ear pain following a fall on ice. He was subsequently transferred to the reserve hospital in Luben, Germany (present-day Lubin, Poland), where he died on Jan. 24, 1944. Sconiers was buried by a detachment of fellow prisoners in grave number seven of the POW section of the municipal cemetery in Luben/Schleswig on Jan. 27, 1944, near the remains of five French officers.
In April 1948, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRS) conducted a field investigation in Lubin, but failed to locate Sconiers’ burial site, and were unable to find any records of deaths or burials in the area.
Between 2006 and 2015, there were multiple searches conducted to find Sconiers’ remains, with negative results, including a full excavation in Allies Park in Lubin.
In September 2015, an independent researcher identified a cross with Sconiers’ name in a French military cemetery in Gdansk, Poland.
In October 2015, DPAA requested assistance from the French Embassy in locating records related to the grave. Historical records revealed there were no French soldiers who died during WWII with the name Sconiers. Additionally, documentation revealed that several French soldiers who were reported to have died in the Lubin region were later reburied in the French Military Cemetery in Gdansk, possibly linking Sconiers to the new burial site.
In July 2016, the French Government and the Polish Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom granted DPAA permission to disinter the remains at the cemetery. In September 2016, the remains were disinterred and sent to DPAA’s Central Identification Laboratory Annex at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for analysis.
To identify Sconiers’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and DNA analysis, which matched his family, dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the French Embassy, the French Government and the Polish Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom for their assistance in this identification.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 73,964 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Sconiers’ name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Belgium, 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.
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 00:33:162025-04-02 00:33:171st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers
Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Wright, P.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Reserve Chief Water Tender Paul R. Wright, 41, of Meadville, Missouri, will be buried January 25 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu. On Dec. 7, 1941, Wright 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 Wright.
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 (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Wright.
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 Wright’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which matched his records.
DPAA is appreciative 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 72,964 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Wright’s name is recorded at the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
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.
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 00:30:532025-04-02 00:30:54Chief Water Tender Paul R. Wright
Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Savidge, J.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Seaman 1st Class John E. Savidge, 20, of Linden, New Jersey, will be buried January 26 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu. On Dec. 7, 1941, Savidge 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 Savidge.
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 Savidge.
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 Savidge’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which matched his records.
DPAA is appreciative to the Department of Veteran’s 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 72,964 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Savidge’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
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.
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 00:30:162025-04-02 00:30:18Seaman 1st Class John E. Savidge
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During The Korean War (Leonard, J.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Pfc. James J. Leonard, Jr., 22, of San Francisco, will be buried January 23 in his hometown. In July 1950, Leonard was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. In the early hours of July 20, Leonard’s regiment arrived east of Yongdong, South Korea, and began preparing to assume the defense of the city. By July 23, Korean People’s Army (KPA) units began attacking American defenses and took control of Yongdong by July 25. Leonard was reported as killed in action on July 25, 1950.
In June 1952, the 392nd Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted searches of the area around Yongdong. All remains recovered were sent to the Army Graves Registration Service Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, but Leonard’s remains were not identified.
In an effort to account for its own war losses, South Korea developed an organization known as the Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification (MAKRI). In early 2017, a local construction crew uncovered possible human remains and material evidence during a road excavation near Yongdong village. On March 30, a MAKRI recovery team recovered the remains and sent them to the MAKRI-Central Identification Laboratory in Seoul. The remains were subsequently sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Leonard’s remains, scientists from DPAA used laboratory analysis, including dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the South Korean government for their assistance in this recovery.
Today, 7,713 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. Leonard’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) 699-1420.
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 00:29:402025-04-02 00:29:42Pfc. James J. Leonard, Jr.
Funeral Announcement For Airman Killed During World War II (Stegnerski, S.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Stanley F. Stegnerski, 25, of Chester, Pennsylvania, will be buried January 22 in Millsboro, Deleware. On Nov. 21, 1944, Stegnerski was the pilot of a P-51D Mustang, taking off from Royal Air Force Base 133 at East Wretham, Norfolk, England, on a bomber escort mission over Germany. Over Merseberg, Germany, the American aircraft were attacked by German fighters. Stegnerski’s group closed in on a group of 20 German fighters and opened fire. He was last seen by his wingman as they prepared to attack the German Focke-Wulf fighters.
A German shoot-down report noted a P-51 Mustang, with a tail number similar to Stegnerski’s, crashed on Nov. 21, 1944 on a road between Dollstedt and Grafentonna, Germany. The report stated the pilot could not be identified and the remains were buried in Grafentonna. Based on this information and no information concerning Stegnerski as a prisoner of war, the Secretary of War declared him deceased on Nov. 22, 1945.
Because Grafentonna, Germany was in Soviet control after 1947, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) were restricted in their investigation.
In 2008, German nationals Mathias Leich and Hans-Gunther Ploes, provided information and analysis that led to a U.S. team to investigate a crash site near Dollstadt and Grafentonna, where the team recovered a piece of engine cowling matching Stegnerski’s aircraft.
In July and August 2016, a DPAA team excavated the crash site, finding possible osseous remains, material evidence and personal equipment. The remains were sent to DPAA for analysis.
To identify Stegnerski’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to Mr. Leich and Mr. Ploes for their assistance in this recovery mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,964 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Stegnerski’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission in Belgium, along with the others 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.
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 00:29:002025-04-02 00:29:012nd Lt. Stanley F. Stegnerski
Funeral Announcement For Marine Killed During World War II (Hannon, H.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Marine Corps Pfc. Harold P. Hannon, 28, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, will be buried January 13, in his hometown. In November 1943, Hannon was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Hannon 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. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Hannon’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, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2017, through a partnership with History Flight. Inc., DPAA used
various advanced investigative techniques and found the remains of men known to have been buried on Tarawa. The remains were accessioned into the laboratory for identification.
To identify Hannon’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the History Flight, Inc. 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 72,964 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Hannon’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others killed or lost in 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.
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 00:27:312025-04-02 00:27:33Pfc. Harold P. Hannon
Fireman 1st Class Charles R. Ogle
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Feb. 5, 2018
Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Ogle, C.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted for from World War II are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Fireman 1st Class Charles R. Ogle, 20, of Mountain View, Missouri, will be buried February 12 in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri. On Dec. 7, 1941, Ogle 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 Ogle.
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 Ogle.
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 Ogle’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and autosomal (auSTR) DNA analysis, which matched family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis.
DPAA is grateful to the 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 72,961 (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Ogle’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing the NMCP 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.
Sgt. Ollie E. Shepard
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Jan. 31, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Missing From The Korean War (Shepard, O.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Sgt. Ollie E. Shepard, 22, of Hugo, Oklahoma, will be buried February 7 in the Bradley, Oklahoma. In late November, 1950, Shepard was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 31st 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. The American forces withdrew south with the Chinese attacks continuing. By December 6, the U.S. Army evacuated approximately 1,500 wounded service members; the remaining soldiers had been either captured, killed or missing in enemy territory. Because Shepard could not be accounted for by his unit at the end of the battle, he was reported missing in action as of Dec. 3, 1950.
Shepard’s name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists and no repatriated Americans reported Shepard as a prisoner of war. Due to the prolonged lack of evidence, the U.S. Army declared him deceased on Dec. 31, 1953.
In September 2004, a joint U.S. and Korean People’s Army (KPA) recovery team conducted a Joint Recovery Operation at a burial site in the vicinity of Twikkae Village, Changjin District, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea, on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir. The site is consistent with the 31st RCT’s location during their withdrawal. Material evidence and human remains were recovered and sent to DPAA for analysis.
To identify Shepard’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and material evidence.
Today, 7,712 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. Shepard’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
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.
Sgt. 1st Class Richard G. Cushman
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Jan. 26, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed In Korean War (Cushman, R.)
The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, recently accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Richard G. Cushman, 18, of Springville, Utah, will be buried February 3, in Cypress, California. In late November 1950, Cushman was assigned to Company A, 72nd Medium tank Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, on the western side of the Korean Peninsula, when the Division encountered waves of attacks by the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF.) The attack caused the Division to withdraw to the village of Kunu-ri. While in the village, a task force comprised of Cushman’s company and an infantry platoon were ordered to destroy a roadblock and eliminate enemy troops. The CPVF overwhelmingly attacked the unit and by the end of battle, Cushman could not be accounted for. He was reported missing in action as of Dec. 5, 1950.
Following the war, no lists provided by the CPVF or Korean People’s Army (KPA) listed Cushman as a prisoner of war, however two returning American prisoners reported that Cushman had died while being held by the CPVF. Based on this information, the U.S. Army declared him deceased as of March 31, 1951.
In July and August 2002, a joint U.S. and KPA recovery team conducted a Joint Recovery Operation at a site, designated KN-0874, in Ung Bong Village, North Korea. Based on information provided by Korean witnesses, Mr. Man Hyon Ho, and Mr. Anh Il Chang, the site was excavated and possible human remains were recovered, along with personal effects and material evidence, all of which was sent to the DPAA laboratory for processing.
To identify Cushman’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, which matched his family, as well as anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence, which matched his records.
DPAA is grateful to Mr. Man Hyon Ho and Mr. Anh Il Chang for their assistance in this mission.
Today, 7,712 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using advances in technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously turned over by North Korean officials or recovered by American teams. Cushman’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) 699-1420.
Pfc. Lloyd J. Lobdell
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Jan. 26, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During WWII (Lobdell, L.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, has been identified and is being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Pfc. Lloyd J. Lobdell, 23, of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, will be buried February 2, in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. On Dec. 8, 1941, Lobdell was a member of Company A, 192nd Tank Battalion, in the Far East, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands. Intense fighting continued until May 6. 1942, when American forces on Corregidor Island surrendered.
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. Lobdell 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.
Lobdell was admitted to the Cabanatuan Prison Camp Hospital suffering from illness. He died Nov. 19, 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 American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery at Fort McKinley in Manila, Philippines.
In 2014, the Secretary of the Army granted permission to exhume ten graves associated with the Cabanatuan Common Grave 717. On August 28, 2014, the remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Lobdell’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which matched his records.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission 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 72,961 service members still unaccounted for from World War II. Lobdell’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery site 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.
1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Jan. 18, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During World War II (Sconiers, E.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, 27, of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, will be buried January 27 in his hometown. On Oct. 21, 1942, Sconiers was a member of the 414th Bombardment Squadron, 97th Bombardment Group, serving as the bombardier on the B-17F Flying Fortress, during a mission to bomb the German U-boat pens at Lorient, France. During the attack, the aircraft received severe damage, but the entire crew parachuted safely, landing in water near Brest, France, where they were picked up by a French fishing vessel and turned over to German forces as prisoners of war. The Americans were sent to Dulag Luft in Oberusal, Germany, for interrogation, and on Nov. 11, 1942, Sconiers was transferred to Stalag Luft II in Sagan, Germany (present-day Zagan, Poland), where he remained until Jan. 9, 1944.
Sconiers was admitted to the camp hospital in early January after exhibiting erratic behavior and complaining of severe ear pain following a fall on ice. He was subsequently transferred to the reserve hospital in Luben, Germany (present-day Lubin, Poland), where he died on Jan. 24, 1944. Sconiers was buried by a detachment of fellow prisoners in grave number seven of the POW section of the municipal cemetery in Luben/Schleswig on Jan. 27, 1944, near the remains of five French officers.
In April 1948, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRS) conducted a field investigation in Lubin, but failed to locate Sconiers’ burial site, and were unable to find any records of deaths or burials in the area.
Between 2006 and 2015, there were multiple searches conducted to find Sconiers’ remains, with negative results, including a full excavation in Allies Park in Lubin.
In September 2015, an independent researcher identified a cross with Sconiers’ name in a French military cemetery in Gdansk, Poland.
In October 2015, DPAA requested assistance from the French Embassy in locating records related to the grave. Historical records revealed there were no French soldiers who died during WWII with the name Sconiers. Additionally, documentation revealed that several French soldiers who were reported to have died in the Lubin region were later reburied in the French Military Cemetery in Gdansk, possibly linking Sconiers to the new burial site.
In July 2016, the French Government and the Polish Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom granted DPAA permission to disinter the remains at the cemetery. In September 2016, the remains were disinterred and sent to DPAA’s Central Identification Laboratory Annex at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for analysis.
To identify Sconiers’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and DNA analysis, which matched his family, dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the French Embassy, the French Government and the Polish Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom for their assistance in this identification.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 73,964 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Sconiers’ name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Belgium, 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.
Chief Water Tender Paul R. Wright
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Jan. 18, 2018
Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Wright, P.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Reserve Chief Water Tender Paul R. Wright, 41, of Meadville, Missouri, will be buried January 25 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu. On Dec. 7, 1941, Wright 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 Wright.
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 (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Wright.
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 Wright’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which matched his records.
DPAA is appreciative 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 72,964 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Wright’s name is recorded at the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
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.
Seaman 1st Class John E. Savidge
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Jan. 18, 2018
Funeral Announcement For USS Oklahoma Sailor Killed During World War II (Savidge, J.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Seaman 1st Class John E. Savidge, 20, of Linden, New Jersey, will be buried January 26 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu. On Dec. 7, 1941, Savidge 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 Savidge.
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 Savidge.
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 Savidge’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis, which matched his records.
DPAA is appreciative to the Department of Veteran’s 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 72,964 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Savidge’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the other MIAs from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
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.
Pfc. James J. Leonard, Jr.
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Jan. 17, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Soldier Killed During The Korean War (Leonard, J.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from the Korean War, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Pfc. James J. Leonard, Jr., 22, of San Francisco, will be buried January 23 in his hometown. In July 1950, Leonard was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. In the early hours of July 20, Leonard’s regiment arrived east of Yongdong, South Korea, and began preparing to assume the defense of the city. By July 23, Korean People’s Army (KPA) units began attacking American defenses and took control of Yongdong by July 25. Leonard was reported as killed in action on July 25, 1950.
In June 1952, the 392nd Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted searches of the area around Yongdong. All remains recovered were sent to the Army Graves Registration Service Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, but Leonard’s remains were not identified.
In an effort to account for its own war losses, South Korea developed an organization known as the Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification (MAKRI). In early 2017, a local construction crew uncovered possible human remains and material evidence during a road excavation near Yongdong village. On March 30, a MAKRI recovery team recovered the remains and sent them to the MAKRI-Central Identification Laboratory in Seoul. The remains were subsequently sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Leonard’s remains, scientists from DPAA used laboratory analysis, including dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the South Korean government for their assistance in this recovery.
Today, 7,713 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. Leonard’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) 699-1420.
2nd Lt. Stanley F. Stegnerski
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Jan. 17, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Airman Killed During World War II (Stegnerski, S.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Stanley F. Stegnerski, 25, of Chester, Pennsylvania, will be buried January 22 in Millsboro, Deleware. On Nov. 21, 1944, Stegnerski was the pilot of a P-51D Mustang, taking off from Royal Air Force Base 133 at East Wretham, Norfolk, England, on a bomber escort mission over Germany. Over Merseberg, Germany, the American aircraft were attacked by German fighters. Stegnerski’s group closed in on a group of 20 German fighters and opened fire. He was last seen by his wingman as they prepared to attack the German Focke-Wulf fighters.
A German shoot-down report noted a P-51 Mustang, with a tail number similar to Stegnerski’s, crashed on Nov. 21, 1944 on a road between Dollstedt and Grafentonna, Germany. The report stated the pilot could not be identified and the remains were buried in Grafentonna. Based on this information and no information concerning Stegnerski as a prisoner of war, the Secretary of War declared him deceased on Nov. 22, 1945.
Because Grafentonna, Germany was in Soviet control after 1947, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) were restricted in their investigation.
In 2008, German nationals Mathias Leich and Hans-Gunther Ploes, provided information and analysis that led to a U.S. team to investigate a crash site near Dollstadt and Grafentonna, where the team recovered a piece of engine cowling matching Stegnerski’s aircraft.
In July and August 2016, a DPAA team excavated the crash site, finding possible osseous remains, material evidence and personal equipment. The remains were sent to DPAA for analysis.
To identify Stegnerski’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, which matched his family, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to Mr. Leich and Mr. Ploes for their assistance in this recovery mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,964 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Stegnerski’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission in Belgium, along with the others 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.
Pfc. Harold P. Hannon
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Jan. 5, 2018
Funeral Announcement For Marine Killed During World War II (Hannon, H.)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, recently accounted-for from World War II, are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Marine Corps Pfc. Harold P. Hannon, 28, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, will be buried January 13, in his hometown. In November 1943, Hannon was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Hannon 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. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Hannon’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, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2017, through a partnership with History Flight. Inc., DPAA used
various advanced investigative techniques and found the remains of men known to have been buried on Tarawa. The remains were accessioned into the laboratory for identification.
To identify Hannon’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and
anthropological analysis, which matched his records, as well as
circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the History Flight, Inc. 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 72,964 service members (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II. Hannon’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others killed or lost in 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.