Sgt. 1st Class John C. Keller

Press Release | July 10, 2015

Soldier Missing from Korean War Accounted For (Keller)

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 have been returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Sgt. 1st Class John C. Keller, 26, of Bronx, N.Y., has been returned to his family for burial at a date yet determined. In November 1950, Keller was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division when his unit was deployed northwest of Unsan, North Korea. The unit began a fighting withdrawal south when Chinese forces attacked their position. After the battle, Keller was reported missing in action on Nov. 2, 1950; however, U.S. service members later reported that Keller had been captured by the Chinese. He reportedly died in 1951 as a result of malnutrition and medical neglect while in the prisoner of war camp known as Camp 5 near Pyoktong, North Korea.

In September 1954, during Operation Glory, Chinese and North Korean Communist forces and United Nations forces exchanged the remains of war dead, some of which were reportedly recovered from POW Camp 5.

In December 1955, a military review board declared the remains unidentifiable and the remains were transferred to be buried as unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Hawaii, known as the “Punchbowl.”

In 2012, due to advances in forensic science technology and extensive research, scientists from the Department of Defense determined that the possibility of identifying the remains now existed. The unknown remains were disinterred for analysis and possible identification.

To identify Keller’s remains, scientists from DPAA used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, to include dental comparison and radiograph comparisons, which matched his records.

Today, 7,846 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 from North Korea 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.

Sgt. Joseph M. Snock Jr.

Recently Identified

Press Release | June 29, 2015

Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Snock)

The Department of 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.

Army Sgt. Joseph M. Snock Jr., 21, of Apollo, Penn., will be buried July 6, in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington D.C. In late November 1950, Snock was assigned to the Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), while fighting enemy forces east of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. On Nov. 29, 1950, Snock and elements of the 31st RCT, historically known as Task Force Faith, withdrew from their positions to consolidate with the rest of the 31st RCT south of the P’ungnyuri Inlet at the reservoir. During heavy fighting the day after consolidation, Snock was reported missing in action.

In 1953, as part of Operation Big Switch, returning U.S. service members reported Snock had been captured and died from malnutrition and lack of medical care in December 1950. His remains were not among those returned by communist forces in 1954.

Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea gave the U.S. 208 boxes of human remains believed to contain more than 400 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the remains were recovered from the vicinity where Snock was believed to have died.

In the identification of Snock, scientists from the DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence, dental comparison, and two forms of DNA analysis; mitochondrial DNA, which matched his sister and brother, and Y-STR DNA, which matched his brother.

Today, 7,846 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.

Chief Master Sgt. Edwin E. Morgan

Recently Identified

Press Release | June 17, 2015

Airman Missing From Vietnam War Accounted For (Morgan)

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Edwin E. Morgan, 38, of Eagle Spring, N.C., will be buried June 27 in Rockwell, N.C. On March 13, 1966, Morgan was assigned to the 6252nd Combat Support Group, as the loadmaster of an AC-47D gunship aircraft, that departed Da Nang Air Base, Vietnam, on an armed reconnaissance mission along the Vietnam-Laos border. The aircraft failed to return and neither Morgan nor the aircraft was seen again. Morgan was listed missing in action and a military review board later amended his status to presumed dead.

In 1992 and 1996, U.S. teams attempted to locate the crash site in Vietnam and Laos, but were unsuccessful. On Feb. 9, 1997, a joint U.S./Lao People’s Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team located a crash site in Xekong Province, Laos.

On Feb. 8, 2010, another joint U.S./L.P.D.R. team surveyed the crash site, successfully recovering remains and military equipment. The team confirmed that the crash site was consistent with an C-47 or AC-47 aircraft with at least one crewman aboard.

Between Oct. 21, 2010, and May 20, 2014, four joint U.S./L.P.D.R. teams excavated the crash site recovering human remains, military equipment, and aircraft wreckage consistent with an AC-47 aircraft.

In the identification of Morgan, scientists from DPAA used circumstantial evidence and dental comparison, which matched Morgan’s records.

We appreciate the cooperation we receive from the governments and people of Laos and Vietnam in our continuing efforts to achieve the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel from the Vietnam War. The success in this case and those before it would not be possible without their support and assistance, and we look forward to expanding progress.

Today there are 1,627 American service members that are still unaccounted for from the Vietnam 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.

Cpl. Kenneth P. Darden

Recently Identified

Press Release | June 16, 2015

Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Darden)

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that the remains of a U.S. soldier, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Cpl. Kenneth P. Darden, 18, of Akron, Ohio, will be buried June 27, in his hometown. In late 1950, Darden was assigned to Battery A, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division (ID), which was occupying positions in the vicinity of Hoengsong, North Korea, when their defensive line was attacked by Chinese forces, forcing the unit to withdraw south to a more defensible position. After the battle, Darden was reported missing in action. A military review board later reviewed the loss of Darden, declaring him dead and his remains non-recoverable.

Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea turned over to the U.S. 208 boxes of human remains believed to contain more than 400 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the remains were recovered from the vicinity where personnel captured from Darden’s unit were believed to have died.

To identify Darden’s remains, scientists from the DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence, dental comparison, which matched his records, and two forms of DNA analysis, mitochondrial DNA, which matched his sister, brother and niece, and Y-chromosome Short Tandem Repeat (Y-STR) DNA, which matched his brother.

Today, 7,846 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.

2nd Lt. Jimmie D. Collins III

Recently Identified

Press Release | June 11, 2015

Airman Missing From World War II Accounted For (Collins)

The Department of 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 Air Force 2nd Lt. Jimmie D. Collins III, 22, of Sylacauga, Ala., will be buried June 29, in his hometown. On June 21, 1944, Collins was the co-pilot of a B-24H Liberator that crashed near Hoofddorp, Netherlands, while returning from a bombing mission against German forces near Berlin. Also aboard the aircraft were nine other servicemen. During the crash one of the servicemen was able to parachute from the Liberator, was captured by German forces, and later returned to U.S. custody. All other servicemen, including Collins, were reported as killed in action.

After the war, analysis of captured German records revealed the remains of seven American servicemen were recovered from the crash site and buried in a cemetery in Hoofddorp. The U.S. Army Graves Registration Services (AGRS) personnel exhumed the remains, and identified the seven servicemen, leaving only Collins and the one other serviceman unaccounted for.

Between February 1946 and July 1947, the AGRS conducted investigations in the vicinity of the crash. No additional remains were recovered at that time. On Sept. 20, 1950, an Army Graves Registration Command (AGRC) review board declared the remains to be non-recoverable.

In September 1992, a brother of one of the crew visited the Netherlands to learn more about the crash, where he spoke to a third party researcher who believed remains of the missing crew men may still be present at the site.

A grave registration team from the United States Army Memorial Affairs Activity-Europe visited the possible crash site near a village in Vijfhuizen, Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands, and located large metal objects underground using metal detectors.

Due to policy within the Netherlands, a Royal Netherlands Air Force Recovery Service (RNLAF) salvage team carried out the excavation of the site in April 1997 with oversight from the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. They were able to recover remains and personal effects.

To identify Collins’ remains, scientists from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which matched his aunt and uncle.