The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, lost during World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Technician Fifth Grade Oneal Rush, 24, of Galivants Ferry, S.C., will be buried Oct. 26, in his hometown. In August 1944, Rush, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers soldier, and six other service members were aboard an C-47A Skytrain aircraft that departed from Shingbwiyang, Burma to Myitkyina, Burma, on an air supply mission. Rush and the six service members were reported missing in action when the airplane failed to reached its destination.
Soon after the loss and following the war, Army personnel attempted to locate the aircraft wreckage, but were unsuccessful. Subsequently, in 1945, a military review board declared Rush and the other six service members to be presumed dead and his remains non-recoverable.
On March 10, 2003, Burmese officials informed the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) team of a crash site and a local villager handed over material evidence that correlated to two crew members aboard the Skytrain. JPAC investigated this site in November 2004, and recovered Rush’s remains, aircraft wreckage and cargo.
To identify the remains, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools such as dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA — which matched that of Rush’s niece. The six other service member have yet to be identified.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died. There are still more than 73,000 servicemen whose remains were never recovered.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Dufresne)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) 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 Pfc. Norman Dufresne, 20, of Leominster, Mass., will be buried Oct. 19, in Leominster, Mass. In July 1950, Dufresne and elements of G Company, 2nd Battalion of 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division were deployed astride hills along the Chinju-Hadong road, just west of the Nam River, deep within South Korea. In late July 1950, the North Koreans launched a massive attack against 2nd Battalion positions and the American forces fell back from Chinju. Dufresne was lost during the course of this moving battle. He was reported as missing in action July 30, 1950.
In August 1951, the U.S. Army Graves Registration Service (AGRS) recovered the remains of a U.S. serviceman from a battlefield near Chinju, South Korea. The remains were buried in the United Nations Cemetery in Tanggok. Several months later, the remains were disinterred and transferred to the U.S. Army’s Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan for laboratory analysis.
In September 1954, a military review board declared the remains unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were transferred to Hawaii, where they were interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the “Punchbowl.”
In 2012, analysts from Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) reevaluated Dufresne’s records and determined that, due to the advances in technology, the remains should be exhumed for identification.
To identify Dufresne’s remains, scientists from the (JPAC) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental comparison and radiograph comparisons.
Today, 7,903 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously recovered from North and South Korea.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1127.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-03-31 15:08:032025-03-31 15:08:05Pfc. Norman Dufresne
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that two U.S. Marines missing in action from World War II, have been accounted for and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Henry S. White, 23, of Kansas City, Mo., and Staff Sgt. Thomas L. Meek, 19, of Lisbon, La., will be buried as a group in a single casket representing the two servicemen, on Oct. 18, at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
On July 21, 1943, White and Meek were crew members of an SBD-4 Dauntless dive-bomber that departed Turtle Bay Airfield on Espiritu Santo Island, New Hebrides, on a night training mission and failed to return. During the training mission, the aircraft was reported as crashed on a coral cliff on nearby Mavea Island. In September 1947 a U.S. Army Graves Registration Service team investigated the crash on Mavea Island, but recovered no remains. In 2012, a JPAC team excavated the crash site on Mavea Island, Republic of Vanuatu, and recovered the remains of White and Meek and non-biological evidence amid the aircraft wreckage, which included U.S. and Australian coins dating to 1942 and earlier, U.S. military Captain’s bars, and a military identification tag that correlates to Meek by name and service number. What was found at the crash site, along with the remains, correlate circumstantially to White and Meek, however, no individual identifications were possible.
There are more than 400,000 American service members that were killed during WWII, and the remains of more than 73,000 were never recovered or identified.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Force 1st Lt. Robert G. Fenstermacher, 23, of Scranton, Pa., will be buried on Oct. 18, in Arlington National Cemetery. On Dec. 26, 1944, Fenstermacher was a pilot of a P-47D Thunderbolt that was on an armed-reconnaissance mission against targets in Germany, when his aircraft crashed, near Petergensfeld, Belgium.
A U.S. military officer reported seeing Fenstermacher’s aircraft crash. Reaching the site shortly after impact, he recovered Fenstermacher’s identification tags from the burning wreckage. No remains or aircraft wreckage was recovered from the crash site at that time and Fenstermacher was declared killed in action.
Following the war, the U.S. Army Graves Registration Service (AGRS) investigated and interviewed a local Belgian woman who told team that an aircraft crashed into the side of her house. The team searched the surrounding area but was unsuccessful locating the crash site.
In 2012 a group of local historians excavated a private yard in Petergensfeld, Belgium, recovering human remains and aircraft wreckage consistent with a P-47D. The remains were turned over to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC).
To identify the remains, scientists from JPAC used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools such as dental comparisons, which matched Fenstermacher’s records.
There are more than 400,000 American service members that were killed during WWII, and the remains of more than 73,000 were never recovered or identified.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-03-31 15:07:002025-03-31 15:07:011st Lt. Robert G. Fenstermacher
Missing Airmen From Vietnam War Accounted For (Pietsch, Guillermin)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been accounted for and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Robert E. Pietsch, 31, of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Maj. Louis F. Guillermin, 25, of West Chester, Pa., will be buried as a group Oct. 16, in a single casket representing the two servicemen at Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. Guillermin’s individual remains will be buried Oct. 5, 2013, in Broomall, Pa.
On April 30, 1968, Guillermin and Pietsch were on an armed-reconnaissance mission when their A-26A Invader aircraft crashed in Savannakhet Province, Laos. Witnesses saw an explosion on the ground and did not see any signs of survivors. Search and rescue efforts were unsuccessful, and Guillermin and Pietsch were listed as Missing in Action.
In 1994, a joint U.S./Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) team, lead by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), surveyed the crash site in Savannakhet Province, Laos. The team recovered human remains and evidence, but was unable to fully survey the site due to the presence of dangerous unexploded ordinance.
In 2006, joint U.S./LPDR teams assisted by Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel cleared the site and gathered additional human remains and evidence such as personal effects and crew-related equipment.
The remains recovered were analyzed by scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory using circumstantial evidence and forensic analysis such as mtDNA comparisons. Portions of the remains were individually identified as Guillermin through an mtDNA match from a hair sample from Guillermin’s medical file. The rest of the remains recovered were not individually identified, but correspond to both Pietsch and Guillermin.
There are more than 1,640 American service members that are still unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Tait)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) 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 J. Tait, 19, of Bar Harbor, Maine, will be buried Oct. 5, in his hometown. In late 1950, Tait a member of the Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, engaged in a battle with enemy forces east of the Chosin Reservoir, in North Korea. As the battle continued, the 31st RCT, known historically as Task Force Faith, began a fighting withdrawal to a more defensible position. Following the battle, Tait was reported missing on Dec. 6, 1950.
In August 1953, returning U.S. soldiers reported that Tait had been captured on Dec. 2, 1950, and died shortly afterward due to lack of medical care and malnutrition. His remains were not among those returned by the Communist Forces during Operation Glory in 1954.
Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of human remains believed to contain the remains of 350 – 400 U.S. servicemen. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the remains were recovered from the area where Tait was believed to have died in 1950, near the Chosin Reservoir.
Between 1990 and 2000, teams from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, (JPAC) excavated and recovered human remains near the Chosin Reservoir. Some of those remains are also associated with Tait. The remains were repatriated and taken to JPAC’s laboratory in Hawaii for analysis.
To identify Tait’s remains, scientists from the JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental comparison, and DNA. Three forms of DNA were used to identify Tait’s remains – Mitochondrial DNA, which matched his sister, Y-STR and auSTR DNA.
Today, more than 7,900 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 missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1127.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-03-31 15:05:072025-03-31 15:05:08Cpl. Robert J. Tait
Soldier Missing From Korean War Aaccounted For (Evans)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) 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. Harold A. Evans, 22, of Linsell, Minn., will be buried Oct. 12, in Thief River Falls, Minn. In late 1950, Evans was a member of the Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir near Sinhung-ri, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea. After engaging in a battle with enemy forces east of the Chosin Reservoir, members of the 31st RCT, historically known as Task Force Faith, began a fighting withdrawal to a more defensible position. Following the battle, Evans was reported missing on Dec. 12, 1950.
Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of human remains believed to contain the remains of 350 – 400 U.S. servicemen. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the remains were recovered from the area where Evans was believed to have died in 1950, near the Chosin Reservoir.
To identify Evans’ remains, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental comparison, radiograph comparisons and DNA analysis. Two forms of DNA were used to identify Evans, Mitochondrial DNA, which matched his sister, and Y-STR DNA, which matched his brother.
Today, more than 7,900 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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1127.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-03-31 15:04:332025-03-31 15:04:34Cpl. Harold A. Evans
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, have been accounted for and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army 2nd Lt. Vernal J. Bird, 26, of Lindon, Utah, will be buried Sept. 28, in Springville, Utah. On March 12, 1944, Bird, a member of the 5th Air Force, 3rd Bombardment Group, 13th Bombardment Squadron, was the pilot of an A-20G Havoc aircraft on an attack mission over the island of New Guinea. Other airmen in the formation saw Bird’s aircraft lagging behind, and reported the last known location of the aircraft was “about half way down the run over Boram Airstrip.” Bird’s aircraft did not return to base and attempts to locate the aircraft, both during and after the war, were unsuccessful.
In 2001, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) located an aircraft crash site in a remote area of Papua New Guinea. A local resident gave the JPAC team human remains and four aircraft data plates that correlate to Bird’s A-20G aircraft, which he claimed to have recovered from the wreckage. All of the evidence was taken to JPAC’s laboratory in Hawaii, for analysis.
In 2011, JPAC relocated the crash site, which contained significant amounts of aircraft wreckage. JPAC has not yet completed a full excavation of the site.
To identify the remains, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools including mitochondrial DNA, which matched Bird’s sister.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died. At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 73,000 remain unaccounted-for from the conflict.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1127.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-03-31 15:03:482025-03-31 15:03:492nd Lt. Vernal J. Bird
Soldier Missing From Korean War Identified (Alvarez)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) 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. Armando Alvarez, 20, of El Paso, Texas, will be buried Sept. 27, in his hometown. In late 1950, Alvarez and elements of the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), were advancing along the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir, in North Korea. From Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, 1950, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) encircled and attempted to overrun the U.S. position. As the battle continued, the 31st RCT, known historically as Task Force Faith, began a fighting withdrawal to a more defensible position. Following the battle, Alvarez was reported missing on Dec. 2, 1950.
In Sept. 2004 a joint U.S. and Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (D.P.R.K.) team surveyed and excavated a field south of the P’ungnyuri inlet of the Chosin Reservoir, near the area where Alvarez was last seen, recovering human remains.
To identify Alvarez’s remains, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental comparison and mitochondrial DNA – which matched Alvarez’s sister.
Today, more than 7,900 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 missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1127.
Airmen From Vietnam War Identified (Sizemore, Andre)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of Air Force pilots Maj. James E. Sizemore of Lawrenceville, Ill., and Maj. Howard V. Andre Jr., of Memphis, Tenn., have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors on Sept. 23 at Arlington National Cemetery.
On July 8, 1969, Sizemore and Andre were on a night armed reconnaissance mission when their A-26A Invader aircraft crashed in Xiangkhoang Province, Laos. Both men died in the crash but their remains were unaccounted for until April 2013.
In 1993, a joint U.S./Lao People’s Democratic Republic team investigated an aircraft crash site in Laos. They recovered aircraft wreckage from an A-26. The team was not able to conduct a complete excavation of the site at that time.
Twice in 2010, joint U.S./Lao People’s Democratic Republic teams conducted excavations of the crash site recovering human remains, aircraft wreckage, personal effects and military equipment associated with Sizemore and Andre.
In the identification of the remains, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental comparison – which matched Sizemore’s records.
There are more than 1,640 American service members that are still unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, call 703-699-1169 or visit the DPMO website at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-03-31 15:01:502025-03-31 15:01:51Sizemore, Andre
Technician Fifth Grade Oneal Rush
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Oct. 22, 2013
Soldier Missing From WWII Identified (Rush)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, lost during World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Technician Fifth Grade Oneal Rush, 24, of Galivants Ferry, S.C., will be buried Oct. 26, in his hometown. In August 1944, Rush, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers soldier, and six other service members were aboard an C-47A Skytrain aircraft that departed from Shingbwiyang, Burma to Myitkyina, Burma, on an air supply mission. Rush and the six service members were reported missing in action when the airplane failed to reached its destination.
Soon after the loss and following the war, Army personnel attempted to locate the aircraft wreckage, but were unsuccessful. Subsequently, in 1945, a military review board declared Rush and the other six service members to be presumed dead and his remains non-recoverable.
On March 10, 2003, Burmese officials informed the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) team of a crash site and a local villager handed over material evidence that correlated to two crew members aboard the Skytrain. JPAC investigated this site in November 2004, and recovered Rush’s remains, aircraft wreckage and cargo.
To identify the remains, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools such as dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA — which matched that of Rush’s niece. The six other service member have yet to be identified.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died. There are still more than 73,000 servicemen whose remains were never recovered.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Pfc. Norman Dufresne
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Oct. 19, 2013
Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Dufresne)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) 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 Pfc. Norman Dufresne, 20, of Leominster, Mass., will be buried Oct. 19, in Leominster, Mass. In July 1950, Dufresne and elements of G Company, 2nd Battalion of 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division were deployed astride hills along the Chinju-Hadong road, just west of the Nam River, deep within South Korea. In late July 1950, the North Koreans launched a massive attack against 2nd Battalion positions and the American forces fell back from Chinju. Dufresne was lost during the course of this moving battle. He was reported as missing in action July 30, 1950.
In August 1951, the U.S. Army Graves Registration Service (AGRS) recovered the remains of a U.S. serviceman from a battlefield near Chinju, South Korea. The remains were buried in the United Nations Cemetery in Tanggok. Several months later, the remains were disinterred and transferred to the U.S. Army’s Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan for laboratory analysis.
In September 1954, a military review board declared the remains unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were transferred to Hawaii, where they were interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the “Punchbowl.”
In 2012, analysts from Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) reevaluated Dufresne’s records and determined that, due to the advances in technology, the remains should be exhumed for identification.
To identify Dufresne’s remains, scientists from the (JPAC) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental comparison and radiograph comparisons.
Today, 7,903 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously recovered from North and South Korea.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1127.
White, Meek
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Oct. 18, 2013
WWII Marines Accounted For (White, Meek)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that two U.S. Marines missing in action from World War II, have been accounted for and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Henry S. White, 23, of Kansas City, Mo., and Staff Sgt. Thomas L. Meek, 19, of Lisbon, La., will be buried as a group in a single casket representing the two servicemen, on Oct. 18, at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
On July 21, 1943, White and Meek were crew members of an SBD-4 Dauntless dive-bomber that departed Turtle Bay Airfield on Espiritu Santo Island, New Hebrides, on a night training mission and failed to return. During the training mission, the aircraft was reported as crashed on a coral cliff on nearby Mavea Island. In September 1947 a U.S. Army Graves Registration Service team investigated the crash on Mavea Island, but recovered no remains. In 2012, a JPAC team excavated the crash site on Mavea Island, Republic of Vanuatu, and recovered the remains of White and Meek and non-biological evidence amid the aircraft wreckage, which included U.S. and Australian coins dating to 1942 and earlier, U.S. military Captain’s bars, and a military identification tag that correlates to Meek by name and service number. What was found at the crash site, along with the remains, correlate circumstantially to White and Meek, however, no individual identifications were possible.
There are more than 400,000 American service members that were killed during WWII, and the remains of more than 73,000 were never recovered or identified.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
1st Lt. Robert G. Fenstermacher
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Oct. 14, 2013
WWII Soldier Identified (Fenstermacher)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Force 1st Lt. Robert G. Fenstermacher, 23, of Scranton, Pa., will be buried on Oct. 18, in Arlington National Cemetery. On Dec. 26, 1944, Fenstermacher was a pilot of a P-47D Thunderbolt that was on an armed-reconnaissance mission against targets in Germany, when his aircraft crashed, near Petergensfeld, Belgium.
A U.S. military officer reported seeing Fenstermacher’s aircraft crash. Reaching the site shortly after impact, he recovered Fenstermacher’s identification tags from the burning wreckage. No remains or aircraft wreckage was recovered from the crash site at that time and Fenstermacher was declared killed in action.
Following the war, the U.S. Army Graves Registration Service (AGRS) investigated and interviewed a local Belgian woman who told team that an aircraft crashed into the side of her house. The team searched the surrounding area but was unsuccessful locating the crash site.
In 2012 a group of local historians excavated a private yard in Petergensfeld, Belgium, recovering human remains and aircraft wreckage consistent with a P-47D. The remains were turned over to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC).
To identify the remains, scientists from JPAC used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools such as dental comparisons, which matched Fenstermacher’s records.
There are more than 400,000 American service members that were killed during WWII, and the remains of more than 73,000 were never recovered or identified.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Pietsch, Guillermin
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 30, 2013
Missing Airmen From Vietnam War Accounted For (Pietsch, Guillermin)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been accounted for and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Robert E. Pietsch, 31, of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Maj. Louis F. Guillermin, 25, of West Chester, Pa., will be buried as a group Oct. 16, in a single casket representing the two servicemen at Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. Guillermin’s individual remains will be buried Oct. 5, 2013, in Broomall, Pa.
On April 30, 1968, Guillermin and Pietsch were on an armed-reconnaissance mission when their A-26A Invader aircraft crashed in Savannakhet Province, Laos. Witnesses saw an explosion on the ground and did not see any signs of survivors. Search and rescue efforts were unsuccessful, and Guillermin and Pietsch were listed as Missing in Action.
In 1994, a joint U.S./Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) team, lead by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), surveyed the crash site in Savannakhet Province, Laos. The team recovered human remains and evidence, but was unable to fully survey the site due to the presence of dangerous unexploded ordinance.
In 2006, joint U.S./LPDR teams assisted by Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel cleared the site and gathered additional human remains and evidence such as personal effects and crew-related equipment.
The remains recovered were analyzed by scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory using circumstantial evidence and forensic analysis such as mtDNA comparisons. Portions of the remains were individually identified as Guillermin through an mtDNA match from a hair sample from Guillermin’s medical file. The rest of the remains recovered were not individually identified, but correspond to both Pietsch and Guillermin.
There are more than 1,640 American service members that are still unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Cpl. Robert J. Tait
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 30, 2013
Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For (Tait)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) 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 J. Tait, 19, of Bar Harbor, Maine, will be buried Oct. 5, in his hometown. In late 1950, Tait a member of the Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, engaged in a battle with enemy forces east of the Chosin Reservoir, in North Korea. As the battle continued, the 31st RCT, known historically as Task Force Faith, began a fighting withdrawal to a more defensible position. Following the battle, Tait was reported missing on Dec. 6, 1950.
In August 1953, returning U.S. soldiers reported that Tait had been captured on Dec. 2, 1950, and died shortly afterward due to lack of medical care and malnutrition. His remains were not among those returned by the Communist Forces during Operation Glory in 1954.
Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of human remains believed to contain the remains of 350 – 400 U.S. servicemen. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the remains were recovered from the area where Tait was believed to have died in 1950, near the Chosin Reservoir.
Between 1990 and 2000, teams from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, (JPAC) excavated and recovered human remains near the Chosin Reservoir. Some of those remains are also associated with Tait. The remains were repatriated and taken to JPAC’s laboratory in Hawaii for analysis.
To identify Tait’s remains, scientists from the JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental comparison, and DNA. Three forms of DNA were used to identify Tait’s remains – Mitochondrial DNA, which matched his sister, Y-STR and auSTR DNA.
Today, more than 7,900 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 missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1127.
Cpl. Harold A. Evans
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 30, 2013
Soldier Missing From Korean War Aaccounted For (Evans)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) 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. Harold A. Evans, 22, of Linsell, Minn., will be buried Oct. 12, in Thief River Falls, Minn. In late 1950, Evans was a member of the Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir near Sinhung-ri, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea. After engaging in a battle with enemy forces east of the Chosin Reservoir, members of the 31st RCT, historically known as Task Force Faith, began a fighting withdrawal to a more defensible position. Following the battle, Evans was reported missing on Dec. 12, 1950.
Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of human remains believed to contain the remains of 350 – 400 U.S. servicemen. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the remains were recovered from the area where Evans was believed to have died in 1950, near the Chosin Reservoir.
To identify Evans’ remains, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental comparison, radiograph comparisons and DNA analysis. Two forms of DNA were used to identify Evans, Mitochondrial DNA, which matched his sister, and Y-STR DNA, which matched his brother.
Today, more than 7,900 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.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1127.
2nd Lt. Vernal J. Bird
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 25, 2013
Soldier Missing From WWII Accounted For (Bird)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, have been accounted for and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army 2nd Lt. Vernal J. Bird, 26, of Lindon, Utah, will be buried Sept. 28, in Springville, Utah. On March 12, 1944, Bird, a member of the 5th Air Force, 3rd Bombardment Group, 13th Bombardment Squadron, was the pilot of an A-20G Havoc aircraft on an attack mission over the island of New Guinea. Other airmen in the formation saw Bird’s aircraft lagging behind, and reported the last known location of the aircraft was “about half way down the run over Boram Airstrip.” Bird’s aircraft did not return to base and attempts to locate the aircraft, both during and after the war, were unsuccessful.
In 2001, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) located an aircraft crash site in a remote area of Papua New Guinea. A local resident gave the JPAC team human remains and four aircraft data plates that correlate to Bird’s A-20G aircraft, which he claimed to have recovered from the wreckage. All of the evidence was taken to JPAC’s laboratory in Hawaii, for analysis.
In 2011, JPAC relocated the crash site, which contained significant amounts of aircraft wreckage. JPAC has not yet completed a full excavation of the site.
To identify the remains, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools including mitochondrial DNA, which matched Bird’s sister.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died. At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 73,000 remain unaccounted-for from the conflict.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1127.
Cpl. Armando Alvarez
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 23, 2013
Soldier Missing From Korean War Identified (Alvarez)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) 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. Armando Alvarez, 20, of El Paso, Texas, will be buried Sept. 27, in his hometown. In late 1950, Alvarez and elements of the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), were advancing along the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir, in North Korea. From Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, 1950, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) encircled and attempted to overrun the U.S. position. As the battle continued, the 31st RCT, known historically as Task Force Faith, began a fighting withdrawal to a more defensible position. Following the battle, Alvarez was reported missing on Dec. 2, 1950.
In Sept. 2004 a joint U.S. and Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (D.P.R.K.) team surveyed and excavated a field south of the P’ungnyuri inlet of the Chosin Reservoir, near the area where Alvarez was last seen, recovering human remains.
To identify Alvarez’s remains, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental comparison and mitochondrial DNA – which matched Alvarez’s sister.
Today, more than 7,900 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 missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1127.
Sizemore, Andre
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Sept. 19, 2013
Airmen From Vietnam War Identified (Sizemore, Andre)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of Air Force pilots Maj. James E. Sizemore of Lawrenceville, Ill., and Maj. Howard V. Andre Jr., of Memphis, Tenn., have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors on Sept. 23 at Arlington National Cemetery.
On July 8, 1969, Sizemore and Andre were on a night armed reconnaissance mission when their A-26A Invader aircraft crashed in Xiangkhoang Province, Laos. Both men died in the crash but their remains were unaccounted for until April 2013.
In 1993, a joint U.S./Lao People’s Democratic Republic team investigated an aircraft crash site in Laos. They recovered aircraft wreckage from an A-26. The team was not able to conduct a complete excavation of the site at that time.
Twice in 2010, joint U.S./Lao People’s Democratic Republic teams conducted excavations of the crash site recovering human remains, aircraft wreckage, personal effects and military equipment associated with Sizemore and Andre.
In the identification of the remains, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental comparison – which matched Sizemore’s records.
There are more than 1,640 American service members that are still unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, call 703-699-1169 or visit the DPMO website at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo.