Press Release | Nov. 1, 2011

U.S. Soldier Missing From Korean War Identified (Morelli)

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Cpl. Eugene M. Morelli, 21, of Santa Ysabel, Calif., will be buried on Nov. 5, in Ramona, Calif. In February 1951, Morelli and elements of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division of the United Nations Forces, were forced to withdraw during the Battle for Hoengsong, in South Korea. Morelli was captured by Communist Forces and held in a POW camp in Suan County, North Korea.

In 1953, after the conclusion of the war, and the exchange of Prisoners of War known as “Operation Big Switch,” a returned U.S. soldier reported that Morelli had died in captivity due to malnutrition.

Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of remains believed to contain the remains of 200-400 U.S. servicemen. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the human remains were recovered near where Morelli was held as a POW.

Among forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental records, and mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of Morelli’s niece—in the identification.

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.

Press Release | Oct. 20, 2011

Aircrew Missing In Action From WWII Identified (Bishop, Digman, Hess, Luce, Karaso, McDonald, Bonnassiolle, Blong, Chiodo, Harringer)

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of 10 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.

Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Robert R. Bishop, 24, of Joliet, Ill.; 2nd Lt. Thomas Digman, Jr., 24, of Pittsburgh; 2nd Lt. Donald W. Hess, 28, of Sioux City, Iowa; 2nd Lt. Arthur W. Luce, 24, of Fort Bragg, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Karaso, 21, of Philadelphia; Staff Sgt. Ralph L. McDonald, 22, of East Point, Ga.; Sgt. John P. Bonnassiolle, 20, of Oakland, Calif.; Sgt. James T. Blong, 19, of Port Washington, Wis.; Sgt. Michael A. Chiodo, 22, of Cleveland; and Sgt. John J. Harringer, Jr., 20, of South Bend, Ind., will be buried as a group, in a single casket representing the entire crew, on Oct. 26, in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. Hess and Karaso will be interred individually at the same ceremony in Arlington.

On April 29, 1944, the 10 airmen were ordered to carry out a bombing mission over Berlin, Germany, in their B-24J Liberator aircraft, piloted by Bishop and Luce. German documents captured after the war noted that the aircraft crashed near the town of East Meitze, Germany, and there were no survivors. German forces buried the remains of Digman, Blong, and one unknown airman in a cemetery near Hannover, Germany, around the time of the crash. In 1946, the Army Graves Registration Service exhumed the remains of the three individuals for identification and reburied them in a U.S. Military Cemetery in Condroz, Belgium.

In 2003, a German national located the site of the crash and recovered human remains, which were turned over to U.S. officials. In 2005, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) team excavated the crash site and gathered additional human remains, military equipment, and metal identification tags for Bishop, Blong, Bonnassiolle, and Harringer. The team also recovered a class ring with the initials AWL – presumably belonging to Luce. In 2007, a JPAC team completed the site excavation and found additional evidence that helped to confirm the identity of the crew.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used dental analysis and mitochondrial DNA—which matched that of some of the crewmembers’ families—in the identification of their remains.

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) 699-1420.

Press Release | Oct. 18, 2011

Soldier Missing From Korean War Identified (Gustafson)

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Private First Class Henry L. Gustafson, 18, of Cook Ill., will be buried Oct. 22 in West Lebanon, Ind. In late Nov., 1950, Gustafson was assigned to 31st Regimental Combat Team in North Korea, when the division came under attack near Kaljon-ri, near the Chosin Reservoir. The unit was forced to withdraw to a more defensible position near Hagaru-ri, south of the reservoir. Private First Class Gustafson was taken as a prisoner of war by the Communist Forces.

After the 1953 armistice, a surviving POW confirmed that Private First Class Gustafson had been captured by enemy forces, and died from lack of medical care in captivity shortly after being captured.

Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of remains believed to contain the remains of 200-400 U.S. servicemen. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, additional human remains were recovered by join U.S./Democratic People’s Republic of Korea teams in North Korea. From these remains the Department was able to identify the remains of Private First Class Gustafson through DNA testing.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of Private First Class Gustafson’s mother—in the identification of the remains.

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 | Sept. 30, 2011

U.S. Soldier MIA From Korean War Identified (Pedregon)

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Corporal Edward M. Pedregon, 20, of El Paso, Texas, will be buried on Oct. 6 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. A memorial service will also be held in San Elizario, Texas, on Oct. 1. In late November 1950, Pedregon and the Heavy Mortar Company, of the 31st Regimental Combat Team – known as Task Force Faith – were overrun by Chinese forces near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. After several days of heavy attacks, Task Force Faith was forced to withdraw, but was stopped by enemy blockades that overpowered them on Dec. 2, 1950. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 30, 1950.

In 1953, following the exchange of all prisoners of war by both sides of the conflict, no further information was gained to indicate that Pedregon had been held as a prisoner of war, and he was declared dead.

In 2004, a joint U.S./Korean People’s Army team excavated several sites in the Chosin Reservoir area and recovered the remains of at least nine individuals and military equipment. The location of the remains corresponds to the positions temporarily held by elements of Task Force Faith in late November 1950.

Among forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used dental records, and mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of his mother and brother—in the identification of the remains.

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.

Press Release | Sept. 27, 2011

Airman Missing From WWII Identified (Mease)

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Capt. Jennings H. Mease, 36, of Greenville, S.C., will be buried Sept. 30 in Salt Lake City. On April 24, 1943, Mease and four other U.S. servicemen were flying over the Himalayan mountains, from Yangkai, China, to their home base in Chabua, India, in their C-87 Liberator Express aircraft. After losing radio communications following take-off, the crew was never heard from again. Eleven aerial search missions were unable to locate the aircraft or crew due to intense snows on the mountains, at high altitudes, and dense jungle growth, at lower altitudes.

Almost 60 years later, in 2003, an American citizen discovered the wreckage of the C-87 aircraft while trekking in the mountains near Chabua. He recovered the aircraft’s identification plate, military equipment and human remains. The artifacts and remains were turned over to U.S. officials for analysis. Attempts to excavate the site are being negotiated with the Indian government.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of Mease’s cousins – in the identification of the remains.

As part of the war effort against the Japanese, U.S. Army Air Forces cargo planes based in India continually airlifted critical supplies over the high mountain ranges that comprise the Himalayas – known as “The Hump” – in support of American airbases in China. The amount of materiel flown over the Himalayas was a logistical achievement unparalleled at the time.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died. Today, more than 73,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, call (703) 699-1169 or visit the DPMO Web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo.