Press Release | April 1, 2016

Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Graham)

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 Cpl. Robert P. Graham, 20, of San Francisco, will be buried April 8 in Colma, California. In February 1951, Graham was assigned to Company A, 13th Engineer Combat Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, which was engaged in a battle near Hoengsong, South Korea. Under heavy enemy attack, his unit was ordered to withdraw south to Wonju. During the withdrawal, they fought continuously with the enemy and encountered numerous roadblocks. Upon arrival at Wonju, Graham was reported missing on Feb. 13, 1951.

In 1953, during the prisoner of war exchanges historically known as “Operation Little Switch” and “Operation Big Switch,” repatriated U.S. soldiers told debriefers that Graham had been captured by enemy forces and died in March 1951 at Suan POW Camp. His remains were not among those returned by communist forces in 1954, however.

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 area where Graham was believed to have died.

To identify Graham’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, to include mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome Short Tandem Repeat DNA analysis, which matched his nephews.

Today, 7,819 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously turned over by North Korean officials or recovered 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.

Press Release | March 28, 2016

Marine From World War II Accounted For (Holladay)

The Department of 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 Corps Sgt. John C. Holladay, 31, of Florence, South Carolina, will be buried April 4 in his hometown. In July 1943, Holladay was assigned to Company B, 1st Marine Raider Battalion, 1st Marine Raider Regiment, which fought in a joint U.S. Army-U.S. Marine Corps battle against Japanese positions in Bairoko as part of the invasion of New Georgia Island, British Solomon Islands, near the present-day village of Mbaeroko.

As a result of the battle, 34 U.S. service members were killed, including Holladay, although there is little specific information on the circumstances of his loss. In the days following the battle, U.S. patrols returned to the battlefield to recover their dead. Several Marines were buried in graves in the area, but there was no record of Holladay’s remains being recovered. From November 30 to December 2, 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted an intensive area search in an attempt to recover human remains between Bairoko Harbor and Enogai Inlet. However, no remains were found. Holladay was declared non-recoverable.

In 2015, a DPAA investigation team took custody of osseous remains that were unilaterally turned over by a local resident. The resident took the team to the location where the material was discovered and additional remains and evidence were also recovered.

To identify Holladay’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence; two types of DNA analysis, including mitochondrial DNA, which matched a maternal cousin, and Y-chromosome Short Tandem Repeat DNA, which matched a paternal nephew; as well as dental comparison and anthropological analysis, which matched his 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.

Press Release | March 25, 2016

USS Oklahoma Sailor From World War II Accounted For (Gordon)

The Department of 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 Chief Petty Officer Duff Gordon, 52, of Hudson, Wisconsin, will be buried March 30 in his hometown. On Dec. 7, 1941, Gordon 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 suffered multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in 429 casualties, including Gordon.

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 Gordon..

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 Gordon’s remains, scientists from DPAA used circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons, which matched Gordon’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

Press Release | March 18, 2016

Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Bart)

The Department of 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 Cpl. Davey H. Bart, 18, of Houston, will be buried March 26 in Humble, Texas. In early November 1950, Bart was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, near Unsan, North Korea, when Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces attacked the regiment, forcing the unit to withdraw. Many soldiers attempted to escape and evade the enemy but were captured and marched to prisoner of war camps. Bart was declared missing in action as a result of the battle that occurred between Nov. 1 and 2, 1950.

In 1953, during prisoner of war exchanges known as “Operation Big Switch,” a repatriated American soldier reported that Bart was held as a prisoner of war at the Pyoktong prisoner of war camp and died in February 1951. Additionally, Bart’s name appeared on a POW list compiled by the Chinese, dated Aug. 8, 1953, which stated Bart died while in captivity in March, 1951. Based on this information, a military review board amended Bart’s status to deceased in 1953.

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, account for 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 Bart was believed to have died.

DNA testing was performed at the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL), Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Tests included mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which traces the maternal line of inheritance; Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR), which traces the paternal line of inheritance; and autosomal DNA, which is individual specific.

To identify Bart’s remains, scientists from DPAA and AFDIL used mtDNA analysis, which matched a sister, Y-STR DNA analysis, which matched a nephew and a sister; dental comparison analysis, which matched Bart’s records; and circumstantial evidence.

Today, 7,820 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.

Press Release | March 16, 2016

Soldiers Missing From World War II Accounted For (Klopp)

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, unaccounted for since World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

Army Pvt. John H. Klopp, 25, of New Orleans, will be buried March 23 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. Additionally, group remains representing Klopp and Army Pvt. Earl J. Keating, 28, also of New Orleans, will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery that same day. Keating will be buried May 28 in his hometown.

In December 1942, Klopp and Keating were assigned to the Anti-Tank Company, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division, when their unit was involved in an intense engagement with enemy forces along the Soputa-Sanananda Track, which is present-day Papua New Guinea. On Dec. 5, 1942, American forces manned a roadblock position and repulsed a heavy Japanese attack, but sustained heavy casualties. Klopp and Keating died during the fighting and were buried by their fellow soldiers within the American perimeter. The American Graves Registration Service team was unable to locate Klopp’s and Keating’s remains after the war.

In October 2011, an Australian citizen in Papua New Guinea contacted DPAA regarding personal effects that possibly belonged to Klopp and Keating. The Department of Defense surveyed the site and recovered human remains and material evidence that correlated to Klopp and Keating. Additionally, in September 2012, another local citizen turned over more remains and personal effects to a U.S. recovery team.

To identify Klopp’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence, mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched his maternal niece and maternal half-brother, and dental analysis, which matched his medical records.

To identify Keating’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence, Y-chromosome Short Tandem Repeat DNA analysis, which matched his nephew, as well as dental analysis, which matched his records.

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) 699-1169.