Press Release | Sept. 18, 2013

Soldier Missing From Korean War Identified (Wolfe)

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 Sgt. Melvin E. Wolfe, 18, of San Diego, Calif., will be buried Sept. 23, in Boulder City, Nev. In late November 1950 Wolfe and members of the K Company, 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT) were deployed along the east side of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea when they came under attack by Communist forces. The 31st RCT began a fighting withdrawal to a more defensible position near Hagaru-ri, south of the reservoir. Following the battle, Wolfe was reported missing in action on Dec. 12, 1950.

In September 2004, a joint U.S/Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K) team excavated a mass grave south of the Pungnyuri-gang inlet of the Chosin Reservoir. During this excavation operation the team recovered human remains from at least 32 individuals and material evidence such as uniform fragments worn by U.S. service members in the 1950s.

In the identification of Wolfe, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools including mitochondrial DNA – which matched Wolfe’s nieces.

Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were excavated from North Korea or turned over by North Korean officials. More than 7,900 American service members are unaccounted-for from the Korean War.

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.

Press Release | Sept. 12, 2013

WWII Airmen Accounted For (Pollard, Licari)

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that two U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

They are Army Air Force 2nd Lt. Valorie L. Pollard, 25, of Monterey, Calif. and Sgt. Dominick J. Licari, 31, of Frankfort, N.Y. Remains representing Pollard and Licari, will be buried as a group in a single casket, on Sept. 19, at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. The individuallyidentified remains of Licari were buried on Aug 6, in Frankfort, N.Y.

On March 13, 1944, Pollard and Licari were crew members of an A-20G Havoc bomber that failed to return to base in a country now known as Papua New Guinea. The aircraft crashed after attacking enemy targets on the island. In 2012 the A-20G crash site in the mountains of Papua New Guinea was excavated and the remains of Licari and Pollard were recovered.

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.

Press Release | Aug. 27, 2013

Soldier Missing From Korean War Identified (MacLean)

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. Donald V. MacLean, 17, of Dover, Ohio, will be buried Aug. 31, in Cary, Ill. In late Nov. 1950, MacLean and elements of the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), historically known as Task Force Faith, were deployed along the east side of the Chosin Reservoir near the P’ungnyuri Inlet, in North Korea, when the RCT was attacked by a large number of Chinese forces. On Dec. 1, 1950, remnants of the 31st RCT began a fighting withdrawal to a more defensible position near Hagaru-ri, south of the reservoir. On Dec. 2, 1950, during the withdrawal, MacLean was reported missing.

In 1954, United Nations forces and Communist forces exchanged the remains of war dead, in what came to be known as “Operation Glory.” Among those remains turned over by enemy forces was a box which allegedly contained the remains of a U.S. serviceman who was buried on the eastern banks of the Chosin Reservoir. After all attempts to identify the remains failed, a military review board declared the remains unidentifiable and the remains were interred as “unknown” at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the “Punchbowl.”

In 2012, analysts from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and DPMO reevaluated MacLean’s records and determined that, due to the advances in technology, the remains should be exhumed for identification.

In the identification of MacLean’s remains, scientists from JPAC used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental and radiograph comparisons.

Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously turned over by North Korean officials. More than 7,900 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War.

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) 699-1420.

Press Release | Aug. 23, 2013

Soldier Missing From Korean War Identified (Blevins)

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 Pfc. Herene K. Blevins, 18, of Hagerstown, Md., will be buried Aug. 27, in his hometown. In late November 1950 Blevins and elements of the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT) were deployed along the east side of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea when they came under attack by Communist forces. The 31st RCT began a fighting withdrawal to a more defensible position near Hagaru-ri, south of the reservoir. Following the battle, Blevins was reported missing on Dec. 2, 1950.

In 1953, returning U.S. prisoners of war told debriefers that Blevins had been captured by enemy forces and taken to a prisoner of war camp known as “Death Valley.” Soldiers also stated that Blevins died from malnutrition shortly after being captured. His remains were not among those returned by communist forces in 1954.

Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of remains believed to contain the remains of 200-400 U.S. service members. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the human remains were recovered from the area where Blevins was last seen.

In the identification of Blevins, 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 comparisons and mitochondrial DNA – which matched Blevins’ brother.

Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously turned over by North Korean officials. More than 7,900 American service members are unaccounted-for from the Korean War.

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.

Press Release | Aug. 8, 2013

Marine Missing From Korean War Identified (Posey)

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.

U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Jonathan R. Posey Jr., 20, of Dallas, will be buried Aug. 12 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. In Dec. 1950 Posey, assigned to L Battery, 4th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was serving provisionally as an infantryman with the 7th Marine Regiment at Yudam-ni in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir. On Dec. 2, 1950, Posey was killed in action while the 5th and 7th Marine Regiments withdrew to Hagaru-ri.

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 Central Identification Unit for analysis. Those which were unable to be identified were interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, known as the “Punchbowl.”

In 2012, analysts from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) reevaluated Posey’s records and determined that portions of the remains recovered from Operation Glory should be exhumed for identification. To identify the remains, scientists from JPAC used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, such as dental and radiograph comparison, which matched Posey’s records.

Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously recovered from North and South Korea. More than 7,900 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean 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.