The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Corporal Edward J. Smith, 18, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for May 15, 2024.
In August 1950, Smith was a member of Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Aug. 31 while fighting North Korean forces in the vicinity of Changnyong, South Korea. He was never found, nor were any remains recovered that could be identified as Smith.
On October 6, 1950, a sets of remains was recovered from an isolated grave in a rice paddy near the village of Ibang-ni, roughly 8 miles west of Changnyong. Investigators could not make a scientific identification, and the remains, designated Unknown X-321 Miryang, were later transported to the United Nations Military Cemetery for temporary interment. In Feb. 1951, X-321, along with other unidentified Korean War remains, were transferred to National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In June 2021, DPAA exhumed X-321 for scientific analysis and identification, and transferred the remains to the DPAA Laboratory.
To identify Smith’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Smith’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monument Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Smith will be buried in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on August 23, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-04 19:30:552025-04-04 19:30:56Corporal Edward J. Smith
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Allan W. Knepper, 27, of Lewiston, Idaho, killed during World War II, was accounted for August 10, 2023.
In summer 1943, Knepper was a pilot with the 49th Fighter Squadron, 14th Fighter Group, in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of World War II. On July 10, Knepper departed El Bathan Airfield, Tunisia, in his P-38 “Lightning” as one of many fighter waves assigned to attack enemy forces near Caltagirone, Italy, and neutralize Axis air powers. In attempts to obstruct Axis movements from the island’s interior toward the beach where Allied forces were landing, U.S. air forces were dispatched every 30 minutes throughout the day. Knepper’s squadron encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire, and another pilot witnessed Knepper’s aircraft veer suddenly skyward before rolling halfway over and plummeting to the ground. There was no witness of any deployed parachute following the crash, and it was believed he was still in the plane when it crashed. Knepper’s remains were not recovered, and he was subsequently declared missing in action.
DPAA researchers located a German report at the U.S. National Archives, dated 10 July 1943, which reports two American “Lightning” aircraft were shot down and crashed west and southwest of Caltagirone. Between 2015 and 2023, the Department of Defense and its partners researched, investigated, and excavated a crash site near Caltagirone, recovering material evidence and remains that are believed to be associated with 2nd. Lt. Knepper. These remains were then sent to the DPAA laboratory for examination and identification.
To identify Knepper’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
2nd Lt. Knepper’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, an ABMC site in Nettuno, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
2nd Lt. Knepper will be buried in Lewiston, Idaho, on Aug. 2, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and to the U.S. Army Regional Mortuary-Europe/Africa for their partnership in this mission. DPAA would also like to thank Bob Richardson and Salvo Fagone for their assistance with research related to finding 2nd Lt. Knepper’s crash site. In addition, DPAA is grateful for the efforts of our partners, Cranfield University, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR), and Geoscope Services Limited, who each excavated the site and recovered evidence that was transferred to the DPAA laboratory.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-04 19:30:242025-04-04 19:30:252nd Lt. Allan W. Knepper
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Frank J. Tedone, 23, of Hartford, Connecticut, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Feb. 20, 2024.
In December 1943, Tedone was a member of the 436th Bombardment Squadron, 7th Bombardment Group during World War II. On Dec. 1, he was serving as a gunner onboard a B-24J Liberator bomber while on a bombing mission from Panagarh, India, to the Insein Railroad Yard north of Rangoon, Burma. After reaching the designated target, Tedone’s plane was reportedly hit by anti-aircraft fire, causing the left wing to burst into flames. Witnesses from another aircraft noted seeing Tedone’s aircraft enter a steep dive while disappearing below the clouds. It was noted that 3 enemy aircraft were also seen following the crippled plane into the clouds, and no further contact was made with the Liberator. The remains of the crew were not recovered or identified after the war, and they were all later declared Missing In Action.
In 1947 the American Grave Registration Service (AGRS) recovered the remains of what they believed to be eight individuals involved in a potential B-24 Liberator crash near Yodayadet, Burma. According to local witnesses, there were no survivors from this aviation loss and Japanese forces had instructed local villagers to bury the remains in two large graves. The AGRS designated the remains recovered from these graves as Unknowns X-505A, X-505B, X-505C, X-505D, X-505E, X-505F, X-505G, and X-505H Barrackpore (X-505A-H). The remains could not be scientifically identified at the time and were interred as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), Honolulu, Hawaii, also known as the Punchbowl.
In early 2019, DPAA received a family disinterment request for Unknown X-505A-H based on past attempts to associate the remains with other unresolved losses from southern Burma. This led DPAA historians to review the other associated Unknown Files, or X files, from the crash. The Department of Defense approved the disinterment request, and in October 2020, DPAA personnel exhumed the remains X-505 A thru H from NMCP where they were accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Tedone’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
SSgt. Tedone’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines, along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
SSgt. Tedone will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, call the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-04 19:29:412025-04-04 19:29:42Staff Sgt. Frank J. Tedone
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. Sam A. Prince, 28, of Clovis, New Mexico, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for April 25, 2024.
In late 1942, Prince was a member of Headquarters Battery, 200th Coast Artillery Regiment, U.S. Army, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Prince was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Prince died Sept. 22, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 434.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Four of the sets of remains from Common Grave 434 were identified, while the remaining seven were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In April 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 434 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Prince’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Prince’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Today, Sgt. Prince is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Sgt. Prince will be buried in Clovis, New Mexico, on August 8, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-04 19:29:092025-04-04 19:29:11Sgt. Sam A. Prince
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Alcario V. Flores, 37, of Coolidge, Arizona, killed during World War II, was accounted for March 1, 2024.
In January 1945, Flores was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II. Shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve 1944, German forces launched a major offensive operation in the Vosges Mountains in Alsace-Lorraine, France, known as Operation NORDWIND. The German attack surged through Allied defenses along the Franco-German border, and the ensuing battle enveloped two U.S. Corps along a 40-mile-wide front. In the following few weeks, Company G found itself assigned to a sector at Reipertswiller, known as “Hoch Ebersberg” (Mount Ebersberg). At some point on Jan 21, Pfc. Flores was killed, but due to the intensity of the fighting his body was unable to be recovered. With no record of German forces capturing Flores, and no remains recovered, the War Department issued a “Report of Death” in Jan 1946.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began looking for missing American personnel in the Reipertswiller and Wildenguth areas of France. At the time, they were able to recover numerous sets of remains, but none found belonged to Flores. Because the remains could not be identified, they were interred in 1949 at the U.S. Military Cemetery at St. Avold, France, known today as Lorraine American Cemetery.
DPAA historians have been conducting in-depth research into Soldiers missing from combat around Wildenguth and Reipertswiller, and in 2021 an anonymous metal detectorist discovered human remains while illegally collecting relics from a foxhole on Hoch Ebersberg. The detectorist also discovered material evidence linking the remains to U.S. Army troops, to include clothing and 30-calibre casings. In December 2021, a DPAA Detachment Europe team recovered the remains and items from the southern slope of Hoch Ebersberg and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
To identify Flores’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological, and other circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Pfc. Flores’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in Dinozé, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Pfc. Flores will be buried in Tempe, Arizona, on August 3, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-04 19:28:352025-04-04 19:28:37Pvt. 1st Class Alcario V. Flores
Soldier Accounted for from Korean War (Mitchell, J.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Corporal Jesse L. Mitchell, 22, of Shawnee, Oklahoma, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Apr. 8, 2024.
In Dec. 1950, Mitchell was a member of C Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He went missing in action after his unit engaged in intensive combat actions in the vicinity of Kunu-ri, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, during the Battle of Ch’ongch’on River. Eyewitness accounts recall Mitchell being captured by the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces while attempting to withdraw to friendly positions. He reportedly died from exhaustion and malnutrition while in captivity at POW Camp 5, on the Pyoktong Peninsula, in summer 1951.
Following the war, in 1954, the opposing nations reached an agreement to exchange war dead, the execution of which was known as Operation GLORY. One set of Unknown remains, designated X-13443 OP GLORY, was reportedly recovered from the 1st Marine Division Cemetery at Yudam-ni, D.P.R.K. While most losses interred at Yudam-ni were primarily Marines, several other sets of remains were identified as POWs who had died at Camp 5. Investigators could not identify X-13443 at the time, and they were then sent to Hawaii where they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, DPAA personnel exhumed Unknown Remains X-13443 from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory, for analysis.
To identify Cpl. Mitchell’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph comparison and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Cpl. Mitchell’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Cpl. Mitchell will be buried in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on October 12, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-04 19:28:032025-04-04 19:28:04Corporal Jesse L. Mitchell
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. William A. Smith, 21, of Syracuse, Missouri, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 21, 2023.
In June 1944, Smith was assigned to Company C, 149th Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theater. On June 6, Smith was aboard Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92, along with roughly 200 other servicemembers, enroute to land on Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France. As LCI-92 steamed toward the shore, it struck an underwater mine which caused the craft to burst into flames. The craft was also hit by enemy artillery fire, causing an explosion that ignited the ships fuel stores and instantly killed everyone in the troop compartment. Due to the urgency of the situation, it was impossible for others to search for survivors. Smith’s remains were not accounted for after the war.
Around June 10, members of the 500th Medical Collecting Company examined the wreckage of LCI-92 and noted the burnt remains of servicemen in the troop compartment, where Smith and others were last seen. American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, removed small amounts of remains from LCI-92 and buried them in the United States Military Cemetery (USMC) St. Laurent-sur-Mer.
Beginning in 1946, AGRC analyzed the remains found in LCI-92, segregating them into four separate Unknowns (X-53, X-83, X-83B, and X-83C). Despite their efforts, AGRC were unable to identify the Unknowns at the time and they were interred in Normandy American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Normandy, France.
In June and August 2021, the Department of Defense and ABMC officials exhumed the comingled remains of the four Unknowns and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
To identify Smith’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Pvt. Smith’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Pvt. Smith will be buried November 11, 2024, in St. Louis, Missouri.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-04 19:27:332025-04-04 19:27:34Pvt. William A. Smith
Marine Accounted For From World War II (Ervin, A.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Arthur B. Ervin, 22, of Detroit, Texas, killed during World War II, was accounted for June 21, 2022.
In July 1944, Ervin was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, which was part of the invasion force of the island of Saipan in a larger effort to capture the Mariana Islands from Japan. On July 5, Ervin was shot and killed by a sniper while trying to assist a wounded comrade. Due to the chaos surrounding the battle and its aftermath, his body was unable to be recovered.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater. They searched for and disinterred remains on Saipan, but could not identify any as Ervin. He was declared non-recoverable in September 1949.
Remains designated as Unknown X-64 4th Infantry Division Cemetery were recovered from Saipan and interred in the Fort William McKinley Cemetery, now the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines.
After thorough historical research, it was determined that X-64 could likely be identified. On Dec. 6, 2018, Unknown X-64 was disinterred and sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Ervin’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Ervin’s name is recorded in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Ervin was buried October 16, 2023, in the Punchbowl.
For family and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty office at (866) 210-3421
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-04 19:27:012025-04-04 19:27:02Sgt. Arthur B. Ervin
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Stanley J. Samoski, 22, of Manchester, New Hampshire, killed during World War II was accounted for Feb. 20, 2024.
In the summer of 1943, Samoski served with the 334th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Samoski was serving as a bombardier, crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiești, north of Bucharest, Romania. His remains were not identified following the war. The remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiești, Prahova, Romania.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns from Bolovan Cemetery, and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.
In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted-for airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory for examination and identification.
To identify Samoski’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
2nd Lt. Samoski’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the North Africa American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Carthage, Tunisia, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
2nd Lt. Samoski will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-04 19:26:172025-04-04 19:26:192nd Lt. Stanley J. Samoski
Soldier Accounted for from Korean War (Travers, J.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Joseph R. Travers, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for June 20, 2024.
In early 1951, Travers was a member of Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Apr. 22, 1951, after his unit had engaged enemy forces near the village of Undam-Jang, Republic of Korea, on Nov. 30, following the Battle of Ch’ongch’on. In 1953, several POWs who returned during Operation Big Switch reported Travers had been a prisoner of war and died in December 1951 at Prisoner of War Camp #1.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2025-04-04 19:25:432025-04-04 19:25:45Pvt. 1st Class Joseph R. Travers
Corporal Edward J. Smith
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 11, 2024
Soldier Accounted for from Korean War (Smith, E.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Corporal Edward J. Smith, 18, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for May 15, 2024.
In August 1950, Smith was a member of Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Aug. 31 while fighting North Korean forces in the vicinity of Changnyong, South Korea. He was never found, nor were any remains recovered that could be identified as Smith.
On October 6, 1950, a sets of remains was recovered from an isolated grave in a rice paddy near the village of Ibang-ni, roughly 8 miles west of Changnyong. Investigators could not make a scientific identification, and the remains, designated Unknown X-321 Miryang, were later transported to the United Nations Military Cemetery for temporary interment. In Feb. 1951, X-321, along with other unidentified Korean War remains, were transferred to National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In June 2021, DPAA exhumed X-321 for scientific analysis and identification, and transferred the remains to the DPAA Laboratory.
To identify Smith’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Smith’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monument Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Smith will be buried in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on August 23, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
2nd Lt. Allan W. Knepper
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 11, 2024
Pilot Accounted for From WWII (Knepper, A.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Allan W. Knepper, 27, of Lewiston, Idaho, killed during World War II, was accounted for August 10, 2023.
In summer 1943, Knepper was a pilot with the 49th Fighter Squadron, 14th Fighter Group, in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of World War II. On July 10, Knepper departed El Bathan Airfield, Tunisia, in his P-38 “Lightning” as one of many fighter waves assigned to attack enemy forces near Caltagirone, Italy, and neutralize Axis air powers. In attempts to obstruct Axis movements from the island’s interior toward the beach where Allied forces were landing, U.S. air forces were dispatched every 30 minutes throughout the day. Knepper’s squadron encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire, and another pilot witnessed Knepper’s aircraft veer suddenly skyward before rolling halfway over and plummeting to the ground. There was no witness of any deployed parachute following the crash, and it was believed he was still in the plane when it crashed. Knepper’s remains were not recovered, and he was subsequently declared missing in action.
DPAA researchers located a German report at the U.S. National Archives, dated 10 July 1943, which reports two American “Lightning” aircraft were shot down and crashed west and southwest of Caltagirone. Between 2015 and 2023, the Department of Defense and its partners researched, investigated, and excavated a crash site near Caltagirone, recovering material evidence and remains that are believed to be associated with 2nd. Lt. Knepper. These remains were then sent to the DPAA laboratory for examination and identification.
To identify Knepper’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
2nd Lt. Knepper’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, an ABMC site in Nettuno, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
2nd Lt. Knepper will be buried in Lewiston, Idaho, on Aug. 2, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and to the U.S. Army Regional Mortuary-Europe/Africa for their partnership in this mission. DPAA would also like to thank Bob Richardson and Salvo Fagone for their assistance with research related to finding 2nd Lt. Knepper’s crash site. In addition, DPAA is grateful for the efforts of our partners, Cranfield University, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR), and Geoscope Services Limited, who each excavated the site and recovered evidence that was transferred to the DPAA laboratory.
Staff Sgt. Frank J. Tedone
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 10, 2024
Airman Accounted for from WWII (Tedone, F.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Frank J. Tedone, 23, of Hartford, Connecticut, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Feb. 20, 2024.
In December 1943, Tedone was a member of the 436th Bombardment Squadron, 7th Bombardment Group during World War II. On Dec. 1, he was serving as a gunner onboard a B-24J Liberator bomber while on a bombing mission from Panagarh, India, to the Insein Railroad Yard north of Rangoon, Burma. After reaching the designated target, Tedone’s plane was reportedly hit by anti-aircraft fire, causing the left wing to burst into flames. Witnesses from another aircraft noted seeing Tedone’s aircraft enter a steep dive while disappearing below the clouds. It was noted that 3 enemy aircraft were also seen following the crippled plane into the clouds, and no further contact was made with the Liberator. The remains of the crew were not recovered or identified after the war, and they were all later declared Missing In Action.
In 1947 the American Grave Registration Service (AGRS) recovered the remains of what they believed to be eight individuals involved in a potential B-24 Liberator crash near Yodayadet, Burma. According to local witnesses, there were no survivors from this aviation loss and Japanese forces had instructed local villagers to bury the remains in two large graves. The AGRS designated the remains recovered from these graves as Unknowns X-505A, X-505B, X-505C, X-505D, X-505E, X-505F, X-505G, and X-505H Barrackpore (X-505A-H). The remains could not be scientifically identified at the time and were interred as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), Honolulu, Hawaii, also known as the Punchbowl.
In early 2019, DPAA received a family disinterment request for Unknown X-505A-H based on past attempts to associate the remains with other unresolved losses from southern Burma. This led DPAA historians to review the other associated Unknown Files, or X files, from the crash. The Department of Defense approved the disinterment request, and in October 2020, DPAA personnel exhumed the remains X-505 A thru H from NMCP where they were accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Tedone’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
SSgt. Tedone’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines, along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
SSgt. Tedone will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, call the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Sgt. Sam A. Prince
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 10, 2024
Soldier Accounted for from WWII (Prince, S.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. Sam A. Prince, 28, of Clovis, New Mexico, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for April 25, 2024.
In late 1942, Prince was a member of Headquarters Battery, 200th Coast Artillery Regiment, U.S. Army, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Prince was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Prince died Sept. 22, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 434.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Four of the sets of remains from Common Grave 434 were identified, while the remaining seven were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In April 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 434 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Prince’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Prince’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Today, Sgt. Prince is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Sgt. Prince will be buried in Clovis, New Mexico, on August 8, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pvt. 1st Class Alcario V. Flores
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 9, 2024
Soldier Accounted for from WWII (Flores, A.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Alcario V. Flores, 37, of Coolidge, Arizona, killed during World War II, was accounted for March 1, 2024.
In January 1945, Flores was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II. Shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve 1944, German forces launched a major offensive operation in the Vosges Mountains in Alsace-Lorraine, France, known as Operation NORDWIND. The German attack surged through Allied defenses along the Franco-German border, and the ensuing battle enveloped two U.S. Corps along a 40-mile-wide front. In the following few weeks, Company G found itself assigned to a sector at Reipertswiller, known as “Hoch Ebersberg” (Mount Ebersberg). At some point on Jan 21, Pfc. Flores was killed, but due to the intensity of the fighting his body was unable to be recovered. With no record of German forces capturing Flores, and no remains recovered, the War Department issued a “Report of Death” in Jan 1946.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began looking for missing American personnel in the Reipertswiller and Wildenguth areas of France. At the time, they were able to recover numerous sets of remains, but none found belonged to Flores. Because the remains could not be identified, they were interred in 1949 at the U.S. Military Cemetery at St. Avold, France, known today as Lorraine American Cemetery.
DPAA historians have been conducting in-depth research into Soldiers missing from combat around Wildenguth and Reipertswiller, and in 2021 an anonymous metal detectorist discovered human remains while illegally collecting relics from a foxhole on Hoch Ebersberg. The detectorist also discovered material evidence linking the remains to U.S. Army troops, to include clothing and 30-calibre casings. In December 2021, a DPAA Detachment Europe team recovered the remains and items from the southern slope of Hoch Ebersberg and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
To identify Flores’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological, and other circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Pfc. Flores’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in Dinozé, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Pfc. Flores will be buried in Tempe, Arizona, on August 3, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Corporal Jesse L. Mitchell
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 9, 2024
Soldier Accounted for from Korean War (Mitchell, J.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Corporal Jesse L. Mitchell, 22, of Shawnee, Oklahoma, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Apr. 8, 2024.
In Dec. 1950, Mitchell was a member of C Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He went missing in action after his unit engaged in intensive combat actions in the vicinity of Kunu-ri, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, during the Battle of Ch’ongch’on River. Eyewitness accounts recall Mitchell being captured by the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces while attempting to withdraw to friendly positions. He reportedly died from exhaustion and malnutrition while in captivity at POW Camp 5, on the Pyoktong Peninsula, in summer 1951.
Following the war, in 1954, the opposing nations reached an agreement to exchange war dead, the execution of which was known as Operation GLORY. One set of Unknown remains, designated X-13443 OP GLORY, was reportedly recovered from the 1st Marine Division Cemetery at Yudam-ni, D.P.R.K. While most losses interred at Yudam-ni were primarily Marines, several other sets of remains were identified as POWs who had died at Camp 5. Investigators could not identify X-13443 at the time, and they were then sent to Hawaii where they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, DPAA personnel exhumed Unknown Remains X-13443 from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory, for analysis.
To identify Cpl. Mitchell’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph comparison and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Cpl. Mitchell’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Cpl. Mitchell will be buried in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on October 12, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pvt. William A. Smith
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 9, 2024
Soldier Accounted for from WWII (Smith, W.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. William A. Smith, 21, of Syracuse, Missouri, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 21, 2023.
In June 1944, Smith was assigned to Company C, 149th Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theater. On June 6, Smith was aboard Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92, along with roughly 200 other servicemembers, enroute to land on Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France. As LCI-92 steamed toward the shore, it struck an underwater mine which caused the craft to burst into flames. The craft was also hit by enemy artillery fire, causing an explosion that ignited the ships fuel stores and instantly killed everyone in the troop compartment. Due to the urgency of the situation, it was impossible for others to search for survivors. Smith’s remains were not accounted for after the war.
Around June 10, members of the 500th Medical Collecting Company examined the wreckage of LCI-92 and noted the burnt remains of servicemen in the troop compartment, where Smith and others were last seen. American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, removed small amounts of remains from LCI-92 and buried them in the United States Military Cemetery (USMC) St. Laurent-sur-Mer.
Beginning in 1946, AGRC analyzed the remains found in LCI-92, segregating them into four separate Unknowns (X-53, X-83, X-83B, and X-83C). Despite their efforts, AGRC were unable to identify the Unknowns at the time and they were interred in Normandy American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Normandy, France.
In June and August 2021, the Department of Defense and ABMC officials exhumed the comingled remains of the four Unknowns and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
To identify Smith’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Pvt. Smith’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Pvt. Smith will be buried November 11, 2024, in St. Louis, Missouri.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Sgt. Arthur B. Ervin
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 3, 2024
Marine Accounted For From World War II (Ervin, A.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Arthur B. Ervin, 22, of Detroit, Texas, killed during World War II, was accounted for June 21, 2022.
In July 1944, Ervin was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, which was part of the invasion force of the island of Saipan in a larger effort to capture the Mariana Islands from Japan. On July 5, Ervin was shot and killed by a sniper while trying to assist a wounded comrade. Due to the chaos surrounding the battle and its aftermath, his body was unable to be recovered.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater. They searched for and disinterred remains on Saipan, but could not identify any as Ervin. He was declared non-recoverable in September 1949.
Remains designated as Unknown X-64 4th Infantry Division Cemetery were recovered from Saipan and interred in the Fort William McKinley Cemetery, now the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines.
After thorough historical research, it was determined that X-64 could likely be identified. On Dec. 6, 2018, Unknown X-64 was disinterred and sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Ervin’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Ervin’s name is recorded in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Ervin was buried October 16, 2023, in the Punchbowl.
For family and funeral information, contact the Marine Corps Casualty office at (866) 210-3421
2nd Lt. Stanley J. Samoski
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 2, 2024
Airman Accounted for from WWII (Samoski, S.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Stanley J. Samoski, 22, of Manchester, New Hampshire, killed during World War II was accounted for Feb. 20, 2024.
In the summer of 1943, Samoski served with the 334th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Samoski was serving as a bombardier, crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiești, north of Bucharest, Romania. His remains were not identified following the war. The remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiești, Prahova, Romania.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns from Bolovan Cemetery, and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.
In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted-for airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory for examination and identification.
To identify Samoski’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
2nd Lt. Samoski’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the North Africa American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Carthage, Tunisia, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
2nd Lt. Samoski will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pvt. 1st Class Joseph R. Travers
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 2, 2024
Soldier Accounted for from Korean War (Travers, J.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Joseph R. Travers, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for June 20, 2024.
In early 1951, Travers was a member of Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Apr. 22, 1951, after his unit had engaged enemy forces near the village of Undam-Jang, Republic of Korea, on Nov. 30, following the Battle of Ch’ongch’on. In 1953, several POWs who returned during Operation Big Switch reported Travers had been a prisoner of war and died in December 1951 at Prisoner of War Camp #1.