Airman Missing From World War II Accounted For (McIntosh)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Robert L. McIntosh, 21, of Tipton, Indiana, will be buried August 13 in his hometown. On May 12, 1944, McIntosh was assigned to the 27th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, and was the pilot of a single-seat P38 aircraft, on a strafing mission against an enemy airfield in Piacenza, Italy. Due to poor weather conditions, the flight leader missed their intended target and began flying south. Following a brief air battle over Bologna, visibility worsened and the pilots were ordered to climb above the overcast. McIntosh’s aircraft was observed diving through the clouds and was not seen again.
On July 10, 1946, elements of the 2621st Graves Registration Unit conducted an investigation regarding McIntosh’s loss. A local witness stated that a plane crashed in the territory of Guiolar, Cotrignano Parish, and the pilot parachuted from the aircraft. The witness attempted to help the pilot reach local partisans, but they were both captured and taken to Bologna where they were separated, however reports of a pilot being captured were not substantiated.
In April 1948, a Board of Officers convened in Rome to review and determine the recoverability of missing service members. They were unable to substantiate a crash location for McIntosh’s aircraft, and declared his remains to be non-recoverable.
In September 2013, the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (now DPAA) received information from private citizens regarding the partial excavation of a crash site in Santa Cristina, Italy. The citizens found evidence which conformed this was McIntosh’s crash site.
In August 2015, a DPAA recovery team excavated the crash site, with help from Archeologi dell’Aria, an Italian non-profit organization.
To identify McIntosh’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched two sisters, as well as dental and anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 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.jpgadmin2025-04-01 15:39:532025-04-01 15:39:551st Lt. Robert L. McIntosh
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, unaccounted for since World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Forces Flight Officer Judson B. Baskett, 25, of Houston, Texas, will be buried August 12, in his hometown. On Nov. 27, 1945, Baskett was assigned to 1305th Army Air Force Base Unit, piloting a C-47B aircraft, en route from Singapore to Butterworth, Malaysia, to pick up cargo, along with two crewmembers. An hour after takeoff, the aircraft reported its position over Malacca, but failed to land as scheduled in Butterworth. An air search conducted in December did not locate a crash site.
In March 1946, an object that appeared to be a crashed aircraft was located about 45 miles south of Butterworth, on the side of a mountain. Multiple efforts were made to reach the crash site by foot, but were unsuccessful, due to the heavy jungle growth and wild animals. The object was later determined to be a waterfall, not an aircraft. Based on this information, the crew was declared deceased on Nov. 28, 1946.
In July 1966, the United States Air Attachè received a report from the Malaysian Ministry of Defense concerning the discovery of a WWII aircraft in the jungle. A joint investigation was conducted, which yielded material evidence, but no remains or personal effects.
On April 13, 2010, a Joint Personnel Accounting Command (JPAC), now DPAA, investigation team interviewed a local man who managed a logging area in the vicinity of the crash site. They visited the site and found aircraft wreckage, which exclusively correlated to the missing C-47 aircraft that Baskett had piloted.
In 2012, the Malaysian Historical group recovered personal effects at the crash site.
In August and September 2015, a joint Malaysian/U.S. team excavated the crash site, recovering possible remains.
To identify Baskett’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analyses, which matched Baskett’s records, and circumstantial and material evidence.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 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.jpgadmin2025-04-01 15:38:372025-04-01 17:42:44Flight Officer Judson B. Baskett
USS Oklahoma Sailor From World War II Accounted For (England)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman from World War II have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Ensign John C. England, 20, of Alhambra, California, will be buried August 13 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On Dec. 7, 1941, England 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 England. No single vessel at Pearl Harbor, with the exception of the USS Arizona, suffered as many fatalities.
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 England.
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 England’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched his niece, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons, which matched England’s records.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 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.jpgadmin2025-04-01 15:37:322025-04-01 15:37:33Ensign John C. England
USS Oklahoma Sailor From World War II Accounted For (Boring)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman from World War II have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Fireman 2nd Class James B. Boring, 21, of Vales Mill, Ohio, will be buried August 6, in Albany, Ohio. On Dec. 7, 1941, Boring 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 Boring. No single vessel at Pearl Harbor, with the exception of the USS Arizona, suffered as many fatalities.
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 Boring.
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 Boring’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched two nieces, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons, which matched Boring’s records.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 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.jpgadmin2025-04-01 15:37:012025-04-01 15:37:03Fireman 2nd Class James B. Boring
Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Nava)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Chief Warrant Officer Adolphus Nava, 38, of Uniondale, New York, will be buried August 4, in Calverton, New York. In late 1950, Nava was a member of Battery B, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, fighting the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) between the towns of Sinhung-dong and Kunu-Ri, North Korea. Their mission was part of a United Nations Command offensive to advance north to the Yalu River. On Nov. 29, the unit was in danger of being encircled and destroyed by the CPVF and were ordered to withdraw. In the escape route, termed “The Gauntlet,” units were overrun by aggressive attacks from the CPVF, and Nava’s unit elected to destroy its guns and escape through the mountains on foot.
For more than a week after the battle, soldiers made their way through enemy lines back to their units. After searching all adjacent units, aid stations and hospitals, Nava was declared missing in action as of Nov. 30.
At the end of the war, during Operation Big Switch, where both sides exchanged all remaining POWs, repatriated Americans provided information on the capture and death of Nava at Pyoktong/Camp 5, where most prisoners of war from the unit were held.
Although the American Graves Registration Service hoped to recover the remains of United Nations Command (UNC) and American soldiers who remained north of the DMZ after the war, conflict between the UNC and North Korea complicated efforts.
Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea returned to the United States 208 boxes of commingled human remains, which when combined with remains recovered during joint recovery operations in North Korea between 1996 and 2005, included the remains of at least 600 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war. North Korean documents included in the repatriation indicated that some of the remains were recovered from the vicinity where Nava was believed to have died.
To identify Nava’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial, Y-chromosome Short Tandem Repeat and autosomal DNA analysis, which matched his brother and daughter, as well as chest radiograph comparison and anthropological analyses, and circumstantial evidence
Today, 7,807 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.
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 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.jpgadmin2025-04-01 15:36:322025-04-01 15:36:33Chief Warrant Officer Adolphus Nava
Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (White)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
U.S. Army Cpl. Charles A. White, 20, of New Lexington, Ohio, will be buried July 29 in New Lexington, Ohio. On December 3, 1950, White was a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, when his company’s position was overrun by the Chinese Communist Forces near Huksu-ri, North Korea. Repatriated American prisoners of war reported that White died in captivity at Prisoner of War Camp 1, Changsong, North Korea, in 1951. Based on this information, the U.S. Army declared White deceased as of May 12, 1951.
In 1954, United Nations and communist forces exchanged the remains of war dead in what came to be called “Operation Glory.” All remains recovered in Operation Glory were turned over to the Army’s Central Identification Unit for analysis. The remains they were unable to identify were interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, known as the “Punchbowl.”
In 1999, due to advances in technology, the Department of Defense began to re-examine records and concluded that the possibility for identification of some of these unknowns now existed. The remains designated X-14173 were exhumed on May 18, 2015, so further analysis could be conducted.
To identify White’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used anthropological, dental and chest radiograph comparison analyses; mitochondrial DNA analysis, using the Next Generation Sequencing technique, which matched a niece, a nephew and a sister; as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Today, 7,807 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.
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 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.jpgadmin2025-04-01 15:35:172025-04-01 15:35:19Cpl. Charles A. White
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, unaccounted for since World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Marine Pfc. Charles E. Oetjen, 18, of Blue Island, Illinois, will be buried July 30, in Alsip, Illinois. In November 1943, Oetjen was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, 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. Oetjen died sometime on the first day of battle, Nov. 20, 1943.
The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Oetjen’s remains were not recovered. On Feb. 28, 1949, a military review board declared Oetjen’s remains non-recoverable.
In June 2015, a nongovernmental organization, History Flight, Inc., notified DPAA that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.
To identify Oetjen’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched a cousin; laboratory analysis, including dental and anthropological analysis and chest radiograph comparison, which matched Oetjen’s records; as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc. for this recovery mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 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.jpgadmin2025-04-01 15:18:302025-04-01 15:18:32Pfc. Charles E. Oetjen
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, unaccounted for from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. Evans E. Overbey, 25, of Coeburn, Virginia, will be buried July 15 in Johnson City, Tennessee. On Dec. 8, 1941, Overbey was assigned to the 93rd Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group when Japanese forces attacked Clark Field in the Philippines. With its aircraft destroyed, Overbey’s unit joined forces with American and Filipino infantry units fighting the battle of Bataan. Following the April 9, 1942 surrender to the Japanese, the surviving members of Overbey’s squadron began the torturous 65-mile “Bataan Death March” northward, where they were imprisoned at Camp O’Donnell. Because of overcrowding and an excessive death rate at Camp O’Donnell, Overbey and other POWs were transferred to Camp Cabanatuan. More than 2,800 POWs perished in this camp during the remaining years of the war. On Nov. 19, 1942, 14 Americans, including Overbey, were reported to have died and were buried by their fellow prisoners in Common Grave 717 in Cabanatuan Camp #3 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 Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, a permanent American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery in the Philippines.
In 2014, the Secretary of the Army granted permission to exhume the ten graves associated with Cabanatuan Common Grave 717, where Overbey was believed to have been buried. The remains were accessioned into the DPAA laboratory on Aug. 28, 2014.
To identify Overbey’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used forensic identification tools, including mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome Short Tandem Repeat DNA analysis, which matched the DNA samples provided by two nephews; anthropological analysis; as well as historical and circumstantial evidence.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 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.jpgadmin2025-04-01 15:17:142025-04-01 15:17:16Pvt. Evans E. Overbey
Marine Missing From World War II Accounted For (Carter)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, unaccounted for since World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Marine Pvt. Robert J. Carter, 19, of Oklahoma City, will be buried July 13 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. In November 1943, Carter was assigned to Company G, 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. Carter died around Nov. 20, 1943.
The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Carter’s remains were not recovered. On Feb. 10, 1949, a military review board declared Carter’s remains non-recoverable.
In June 2015, a nongovernmental organization, History Flight, Inc., notified DPAA that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.
To identify Carter’s remains, scientists from DPAA used laboratory analysis, including dental analysis and chest radiographic comparison, which matched Carter’s records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc. for this recovery mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 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.jpgadmin2025-04-01 15:16:432025-04-01 15:19:28Pvt. Robert J. Carter
USS Oklahoma Sailor From World War II Accounted For (Nash)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman from World War II have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class Paul A. Nash, 26, of Carlisle, Indiana, will be buried July 9 in Sullivan, Indiana. On Dec. 7, 1941, Nash 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 429 casualties, including Nash.
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 Nash.
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 Nash’s remains, scientists from DPAA and AFDIL used mitochondrial DNA, which matched a niece; as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons, which matched Nash’s records.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 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.jpgadmin2025-04-01 15:15:312025-04-01 15:15:33Fire Controlman 1st Class Paul A. Nash
1st Lt. Robert L. McIntosh
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Aug. 5, 2016
Airman Missing From World War II Accounted For (McIntosh)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Robert L. McIntosh, 21, of Tipton, Indiana, will be buried August 13 in his hometown. On May 12, 1944, McIntosh was assigned to the 27th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, and was the pilot of a single-seat P38 aircraft, on a strafing mission against an enemy airfield in Piacenza, Italy. Due to poor weather conditions, the flight leader missed their intended target and began flying south. Following a brief air battle over Bologna, visibility worsened and the pilots were ordered to climb above the overcast. McIntosh’s aircraft was observed diving through the clouds and was not seen again.
On July 10, 1946, elements of the 2621st Graves Registration Unit conducted an investigation regarding McIntosh’s loss. A local witness stated that a plane crashed in the territory of Guiolar, Cotrignano Parish, and the pilot parachuted from the aircraft. The witness attempted to help the pilot reach local partisans, but they were both captured and taken to Bologna where they were separated, however reports of a pilot being captured were not substantiated.
In April 1948, a Board of Officers convened in Rome to review and determine the recoverability of missing service members. They were unable to substantiate a crash location for McIntosh’s aircraft, and declared his remains to be non-recoverable.
In September 2013, the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (now DPAA) received information from private citizens regarding the partial excavation of a crash site in Santa Cristina, Italy. The citizens found evidence which conformed this was McIntosh’s crash site.
In August 2015, a DPAA recovery team excavated the crash site, with help from Archeologi dell’Aria, an Italian non-profit organization.
To identify McIntosh’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched two sisters, as well as dental and anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 or call (703) 699-1420.
Flight Officer Judson B. Baskett
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Aug. 5, 2016
Airman From World War II Accounted For (Baskett)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, unaccounted for since World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Forces Flight Officer Judson B. Baskett, 25, of Houston, Texas, will be buried August 12, in his hometown. On Nov. 27, 1945, Baskett was assigned to 1305th Army Air Force Base Unit, piloting a C-47B aircraft, en route from Singapore to Butterworth, Malaysia, to pick up cargo, along with two crewmembers. An hour after takeoff, the aircraft reported its position over Malacca, but failed to land as scheduled in Butterworth. An air search conducted in December did not locate a crash site.
In March 1946, an object that appeared to be a crashed aircraft was located about 45 miles south of Butterworth, on the side of a mountain. Multiple efforts were made to reach the crash site by foot, but were unsuccessful, due to the heavy jungle growth and wild animals. The object was later determined to be a waterfall, not an aircraft. Based on this information, the crew was declared deceased on Nov. 28, 1946.
In July 1966, the United States Air Attachè received a report from the Malaysian Ministry of Defense concerning the discovery of a WWII aircraft in the jungle. A joint investigation was conducted, which yielded material evidence, but no remains or personal effects.
On April 13, 2010, a Joint Personnel Accounting Command (JPAC), now DPAA, investigation team interviewed a local man who managed a logging area in the vicinity of the crash site. They visited the site and found aircraft wreckage, which exclusively correlated to the missing C-47 aircraft that Baskett had piloted.
In 2012, the Malaysian Historical group recovered personal effects at the crash site.
In August and September 2015, a joint Malaysian/U.S. team excavated the crash site, recovering possible remains.
To identify Baskett’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analyses, which matched Baskett’s records, and circumstantial and material evidence.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 or call (703) 699-1420.
Ensign John C. England
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Aug. 5, 2016
USS Oklahoma Sailor From World War II Accounted For (England)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman from World War II have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Ensign John C. England, 20, of Alhambra, California, will be buried August 13 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On Dec. 7, 1941, England 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 England. No single vessel at Pearl Harbor, with the exception of the USS Arizona, suffered as many fatalities.
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 England.
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 England’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched his niece, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons, which matched England’s records.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 or call (703) 699-1420.
Fireman 2nd Class James B. Boring
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 29, 2016
USS Oklahoma Sailor From World War II Accounted For (Boring)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman from World War II have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Fireman 2nd Class James B. Boring, 21, of Vales Mill, Ohio, will be buried August 6, in Albany, Ohio. On Dec. 7, 1941, Boring 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 Boring. No single vessel at Pearl Harbor, with the exception of the USS Arizona, suffered as many fatalities.
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 Boring.
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 Boring’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched two nieces, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons, which matched Boring’s records.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 or call (703) 699-1420.
Chief Warrant Officer Adolphus Nava
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 28, 2016
Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Nava)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Chief Warrant Officer Adolphus Nava, 38, of Uniondale, New York, will be buried August 4, in Calverton, New York. In late 1950, Nava was a member of Battery B, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, fighting the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) between the towns of Sinhung-dong and Kunu-Ri, North Korea. Their mission was part of a United Nations Command offensive to advance north to the Yalu River. On Nov. 29, the unit was in danger of being encircled and destroyed by the CPVF and were ordered to withdraw. In the escape route, termed “The Gauntlet,” units were overrun by aggressive attacks from the CPVF, and Nava’s unit elected to destroy its guns and escape through the mountains on foot.
For more than a week after the battle, soldiers made their way through enemy lines back to their units. After searching all adjacent units, aid stations and hospitals, Nava was declared missing in action as of Nov. 30.
At the end of the war, during Operation Big Switch, where both sides exchanged all remaining POWs, repatriated Americans provided information on the capture and death of Nava at Pyoktong/Camp 5, where most prisoners of war from the unit were held.
Although the American Graves Registration Service hoped to recover the remains of United Nations Command (UNC) and American soldiers who remained north of the DMZ after the war, conflict between the UNC and North Korea complicated efforts.
Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea returned to the United States 208 boxes of commingled human remains, which when combined with remains recovered during joint recovery operations in North Korea between 1996 and 2005, included the remains of at least 600 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war. North Korean documents included in the repatriation indicated that some of the remains were recovered from the vicinity where Nava was believed to have died.
To identify Nava’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial, Y-chromosome Short Tandem Repeat and autosomal DNA analysis, which matched his brother and daughter, as well as chest radiograph comparison and anthropological analyses, and circumstantial evidence
Today, 7,807 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.
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 or call (703) 699-1420.
Cpl. Charles A. White
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 22, 2016
Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (White)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
U.S. Army Cpl. Charles A. White, 20, of New Lexington, Ohio, will be buried July 29 in New Lexington, Ohio. On December 3, 1950, White was a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, when his company’s position was overrun by the Chinese Communist Forces near Huksu-ri, North Korea. Repatriated American prisoners of war reported that White died in captivity at Prisoner of War Camp 1, Changsong, North Korea, in 1951. Based on this information, the U.S. Army declared White deceased as of May 12, 1951.
In 1954, United Nations and communist forces exchanged the remains of war dead in what came to be called “Operation Glory.” All remains recovered in Operation Glory were turned over to the Army’s Central Identification Unit for analysis. The remains they were unable to identify were interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, known as the “Punchbowl.”
In 1999, due to advances in technology, the Department of Defense began to re-examine records and concluded that the possibility for identification of some of these unknowns now existed. The remains designated X-14173 were exhumed on May 18, 2015, so further analysis could be conducted.
To identify White’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used anthropological, dental and chest radiograph comparison analyses; mitochondrial DNA analysis, using the Next Generation Sequencing technique, which matched a niece, a nephew and a sister; as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Today, 7,807 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.
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 or call (703) 699-1420.
Pfc. Charles E. Oetjen
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 22, 2016
Marine From World War II Accounted For (Oetjen)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, unaccounted for since World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Marine Pfc. Charles E. Oetjen, 18, of Blue Island, Illinois, will be buried July 30, in Alsip, Illinois. In November 1943, Oetjen was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, 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. Oetjen died sometime on the first day of battle, Nov. 20, 1943.
The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Oetjen’s remains were not recovered. On Feb. 28, 1949, a military review board declared Oetjen’s remains non-recoverable.
In June 2015, a nongovernmental organization, History Flight, Inc., notified DPAA that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.
To identify Oetjen’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched a cousin; laboratory analysis, including dental and anthropological analysis and chest radiograph comparison, which matched Oetjen’s records; as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc. for this recovery mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 or call (703) 699-1420.
Pvt. Evans E. Overbey
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 11, 2016
Airman From WWII Accounted For (Overbey)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, unaccounted for from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. Evans E. Overbey, 25, of Coeburn, Virginia, will be buried July 15 in Johnson City, Tennessee. On Dec. 8, 1941, Overbey was assigned to the 93rd Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group when Japanese forces attacked Clark Field in the Philippines. With its aircraft destroyed, Overbey’s unit joined forces with American and Filipino infantry units fighting the battle of Bataan. Following the April 9, 1942 surrender to the Japanese, the surviving members of Overbey’s squadron began the torturous 65-mile “Bataan Death March” northward, where they were imprisoned at Camp O’Donnell. Because of overcrowding and an excessive death rate at Camp O’Donnell, Overbey and other POWs were transferred to Camp Cabanatuan. More than 2,800 POWs perished in this camp during the remaining years of the war. On Nov. 19, 1942, 14 Americans, including Overbey, were reported to have died and were buried by their fellow prisoners in Common Grave 717 in Cabanatuan Camp #3 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 Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, a permanent American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery in the Philippines.
In 2014, the Secretary of the Army granted permission to exhume the ten graves associated with Cabanatuan Common Grave 717, where Overbey was believed to have been buried. The remains were accessioned into the DPAA laboratory on Aug. 28, 2014.
To identify Overbey’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used forensic identification tools, including mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome Short Tandem Repeat DNA analysis, which matched the DNA samples provided by two nephews; anthropological analysis; as well as historical and circumstantial evidence.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 or call (703) 699-1420.
Pvt. Robert J. Carter
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 6, 2016
Marine Missing From World War II Accounted For (Carter)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, unaccounted for since World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Marine Pvt. Robert J. Carter, 19, of Oklahoma City, will be buried July 13 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. In November 1943, Carter was assigned to Company G, 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. Carter died around Nov. 20, 1943.
The battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but Carter’s remains were not recovered. On Feb. 10, 1949, a military review board declared Carter’s remains non-recoverable.
In June 2015, a nongovernmental organization, History Flight, Inc., notified DPAA that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.
To identify Carter’s remains, scientists from DPAA used laboratory analysis, including dental analysis and chest radiographic comparison, which matched Carter’s records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
DPAA is grateful to History Flight, Inc. for this recovery mission.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 or call (703) 699-1420.
Fire Controlman 1st Class Paul A. Nash
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | June 30, 2016
USS Oklahoma Sailor From World War II Accounted For (Nash)
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman from World War II have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class Paul A. Nash, 26, of Carlisle, Indiana, will be buried July 9 in Sullivan, Indiana. On Dec. 7, 1941, Nash 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 429 casualties, including Nash.
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 Nash.
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 Nash’s remains, scientists from DPAA and AFDIL used mitochondrial DNA, which matched a niece; as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons, which matched Nash’s records.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.
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 or call (703) 699-1420.