The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Blanchard E. Pruitt, 19, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for March 17, 2025.
In late 1942, Pruitt was a member of the Medical Detachment, 31st Infantry Regiment, 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. Pruitt 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, Pruitt died on Jan. 1, 1943, and was buried in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Grave 822.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Pruitt’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2003-06-01 08:00:162003-06-01 08:00:16Pvt. Blanchard E. Pruitt
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. James M. Walker, 46, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for March 19, 2024.
In late 1941, Walker was a member of 31st Infantry Regiment 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. Walker 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, Walker died Jan. 1, 1943, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 822.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Walker’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2003-06-01 08:00:162003-06-01 08:00:16Cpl. James M. Walker
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Gresens, R.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. Rosslyn E. Gresens, 22, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Feb. 28, 2025.
In the summer of 1950, Gresens was a member of Company B, 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. On August 11, Gresens was part of a patrol on the west side of the Naktong River. After a fire fight with enemy soldiers, the patrol broke contact with and began moving east to the river, incurring heavy losses along the way. After crossing the river, survivors reported that Gresens was last seen providing fire in a rice paddy, but did not rejoin the withdrawing soldiers. With no evidence of his continued survival, the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1950.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Gresens’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2003-06-01 08:00:162003-06-01 08:00:16Sgt. Rosslyn E. Gresens
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Capt. Ralph L. Rowland, 43, killed during World War II, was accounted for March 18, 2025.
In May 1942, Rowland was assigned to Signal Company, Aircraft Warning, Philippines Department on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines. He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines from 1942 to 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship OryokuMaru. Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the OryokuMaru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay. Rowland was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru. The Japanese reported that Rowland was killed on Jan. 9, 1945, when U.S. forces sank the Enoura Maru.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Rowland’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2003-06-01 08:00:162003-06-01 08:00:16Capt. Ralph L. Rowland
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Cpl. Bruce H. Penny, 21, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for March 25, 2025.
In late 1941, Penny was a member of 31st Infantry Regiment, 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. Penny 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. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Penny died on Nov. 22, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 807.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Penny’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2003-06-01 08:00:162003-06-01 08:00:16Cpl. Bruce H. Penny
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Harrington, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. James L. Harrington, 21, of Cincinnati, Iowa, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 21, 2023.
Harrington’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In June 1944, Harrington was assigned to Company A, 149th Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theater. On June 6, Harrington 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. Harrington’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 Harrington 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 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 Harrington’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome DNA analysis.
Harrington’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.
Harrington will be buried in Cincinnati, Iowa on a date yet 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.jpgadmin2003-06-01 08:00:162003-06-01 08:00:16Pvt. James L. Harrington
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John A. Pagliuso, 24, killed during World War II, was accounted for on March 17, 2025.
In the fall of 1942, Pagliuso was assigned to the 405th Bombardment Squadron, 38th Bombardment Group. On Oct. 5, Pagliuso was onboard a B-25 Mitchell bomber with six other crew members during a mission over Papua New Guinea. The aircraft did not return, and postwar search efforts failed to recover any remains.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Pagliuso’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2003-06-01 08:00:162003-06-01 08:00:16Staff Sgt. John A. Pagliuso
USS West Virginia Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Frye, N.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Navy Mess Attendant 3rd Class (Matt3c) Neil D. Frye, 20, of Vass, North Carolina, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 27, 2024.
Frye’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Frye was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS West Virginia sustained multiple torpedo hits, but timely counter-flooding measures taken by the crew prevented it from capsizing, and it came to rest on the shallow harbor floor. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Frye.
During efforts to salvage the USS West Virginia, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crewmen, which were interred at Halawa Naval Cemetery on Oahu. After the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) identified 42 individuals from the remains interred at Halawa. Those who could not be identified, including Frye, were interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
From June through October 2017, DPAA, in cooperation with cemetery officials, disinterred the 35 Unknowns reported to be associated with the USS West Virginia from the Punchbowl and transferred the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Frye’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Frye’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Frye will be buried in Spring Hills, North Carolina, in April 2025.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office at (800) 443-9298.
https://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpg00adminhttps://pow-mia-kia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/logo-300x200.jpgadmin2003-06-01 08:00:162003-06-01 08:00:16Mess Attendant 3rd Class Neil D. Frye
Pvt. Blanchard E. Pruitt
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 19, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From WWII (Pruitt, B.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Blanchard E. Pruitt, 19, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for March 17, 2025.
In late 1942, Pruitt was a member of the Medical Detachment, 31st Infantry Regiment, 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. Pruitt 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, Pruitt died on Jan. 1, 1943, and was buried in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Grave 822.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Pruitt’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Cpl. James M. Walker
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 28, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From WWII (Walker, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. James M. Walker, 46, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for March 19, 2024.
In late 1941, Walker was a member of 31st Infantry Regiment 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. Walker 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, Walker died Jan. 1, 1943, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 822.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Walker’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Sgt. Rosslyn E. Gresens
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 6, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Gresens, R.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. Rosslyn E. Gresens, 22, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Feb. 28, 2025.
In the summer of 1950, Gresens was a member of Company B, 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. On August 11, Gresens was part of a patrol on the west side of the Naktong River. After a fire fight with enemy soldiers, the patrol broke contact with and began moving east to the river, incurring heavy losses along the way. After crossing the river, survivors reported that Gresens was last seen providing fire in a rice paddy, but did not rejoin the withdrawing soldiers. With no evidence of his continued survival, the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1950.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Gresens’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Capt. Ralph L. Rowland
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 20, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From WWII (Rowland, R.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Capt. Ralph L. Rowland, 43, killed during World War II, was accounted for March 18, 2025.
In May 1942, Rowland was assigned to Signal Company, Aircraft Warning, Philippines Department on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines. He was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan in the Philippines from 1942 to 1944 when the Japanese military moved POWs to Manila for transport to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru. Unaware the allied POWs were on board, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru, which eventually sank in Subic Bay. Rowland was then transported to Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan, aboard the Enoura Maru. The Japanese reported that Rowland was killed on Jan. 9, 1945, when U.S. forces sank the Enoura Maru.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Rowland’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Cpl. Bruce H. Penny
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 28, 2025
Airman Accounted For From WWII (Penny, B.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Cpl. Bruce H. Penny, 21, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for March 25, 2025.
In late 1941, Penny was a member of 31st Infantry Regiment, 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. Penny 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. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Penny died on Nov. 22, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 807.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Penny’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Pvt. James L. Harrington
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 6, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Harrington, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. James L. Harrington, 21, of Cincinnati, Iowa, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 21, 2023.
Harrington’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In June 1944, Harrington was assigned to Company A, 149th Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theater. On June 6, Harrington 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. Harrington’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 Harrington 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 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 Harrington’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome DNA analysis.
Harrington’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.
Harrington will be buried in Cincinnati, Iowa on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Staff Sgt. John A. Pagliuso
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 20, 2025
Airman Accounted For From WWII (Pagliuso, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John A. Pagliuso, 24, killed during World War II, was accounted for on March 17, 2025.
In the fall of 1942, Pagliuso was assigned to the 405th Bombardment Squadron, 38th Bombardment Group. On Oct. 5, Pagliuso was onboard a B-25 Mitchell bomber with six other crew members during a mission over Papua New Guinea. The aircraft did not return, and postwar search efforts failed to recover any remains.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Pagliuso’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Mess Attendant 3rd Class Neil D. Frye
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 28, 2025
USS West Virginia Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Frye, N.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Navy Mess Attendant 3rd Class (Matt3c) Neil D. Frye, 20, of Vass, North Carolina, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 27, 2024.
Frye’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Frye was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS West Virginia sustained multiple torpedo hits, but timely counter-flooding measures taken by the crew prevented it from capsizing, and it came to rest on the shallow harbor floor. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Frye.
During efforts to salvage the USS West Virginia, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crewmen, which were interred at Halawa Naval Cemetery on Oahu. After the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) identified 42 individuals from the remains interred at Halawa. Those who could not be identified, including Frye, were interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
From June through October 2017, DPAA, in cooperation with cemetery officials, disinterred the 35 Unknowns reported to be associated with the USS West Virginia from the Punchbowl and transferred the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Frye’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Frye’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Frye will be buried in Spring Hills, North Carolina, in April 2025.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office at (800) 443-9298.