The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. George E. Davies, 27, of Portland, Oregon, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 9, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Davies was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator bomber on which SSgt Davies was the assistant engineer was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, 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, Ploiesti, 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 Davies’ 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 Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
SSgt Davies’ name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
SSgt Davies will be buried in Portland, Oregon, on June 21, 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 18:20:442025-04-04 18:20:45Staff Sgt. George E. Davies
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Mose E. Vance, 21, of Bradshaw, West Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for January 5, 2024.
In January 1945, Vance was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 180th 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 F found itself assigned to a 7-mile sector at Reipertswiller and Wildenguth, France. At some point on Jan 11, PFC Vance was killed, but due to the intensity of the fighting his body was unable to be recovered. With no record of German forces capturing Vance, and no remains recovered, the War Department issued a “Report of Death” in December 1945.
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 area. At the time, they were able to recover numerous sets of remains, one of which was designated X-6904 St. Avold (X-6904). 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 believe that Unknown X-6904 could be associated with PFC Vance. Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission workers exhumed X-6904 in August 2022 and transferred the remains to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
To identify Vance’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and other circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
PFC Vance’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 Vance will be buried in Paynesville, West Virginia, 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 18:20:002025-04-04 18:20:02Pvt. 1st Class Mose E. Vance
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Marine Corps Pvt. 1st Class Erwin S. King, killed during World War II, was accounted for May 16, 2024.
In September 1942, King was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. On Sept. 24, he was killed during a firefight with Japanese forces. His body could not be recovered at the time because of the fighting. A burial party was dispatched to the area of “Hill X” and “Hill Y” on Sept. 25 where they quickly buried the Marines who died during the fighting on Sept. 24, including King, in Grave 3.
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 18:19:132025-04-04 18:19:14Pvt. 1st Class Erwin S. King
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Marine Corps Private Randolph R. Edwards, killed during World War II, was accounted for May 17, 2024.
In September 1942, Edwards was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. On Sept. 24, he was killed during a firefight with Japanese forces. His body could not be recovered at the time because of the fighting. A burial party was dispatched to the area of “Hill X” and “Hill Y” on Sept. 25 where they quickly buried the Marines who died during the fighting on Sept. 24, including Edwards, in Grave 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 18:18:442025-04-04 18:18:46Private Randolph R. Edwards
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Bryan Myers Jr., 21, of Cobden, Illinois, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for February 27, 2024.
In Sept. 1950, Myers was a member of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, during the Korean War. He was killed in action while his unit was defending the Pusan Perimeter, in South Korea. The exact circumstances of his death were unknown, and his remains were not accounted for during or after the war.
In 1950, the remains of an American soldier were recovered from a foxhole on the east side of Mt. Chulmol, near Haman, South Korea. Investigators estimated the death to have occurred in early September but were unable to make a positive identification. The remains, designated as Unknown X173 Masan, were initially interred in the United Nations Military Cemetery Masan, before ultimately being transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In March 2019, scientists from the DPAA laboratory exhumed Unknown X-173 from the Punchbowl for scientific analysis.
To identify Myers’ remains, scientists from DPAA used chest radiograph and other circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Pfc Myers’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.
Pfc Myers will be buried in Elwood, Illinois, 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 18:18:162025-04-04 18:18:18Pvt. 1st Class Bryan Myers Jr.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pfc. Thomas A. Smith, 17 of Grant, Michigan, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 22, 2023.
In the summer of 1950, Smith was a member of 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, Company A, 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Aug. 2 when his unit took part in defensive action near Chinju at the southern end of the Korean peninsula. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered, and there is no evidence that he was ever a prisoner of war. Smith was never listed as a prisoner of war, and the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps (AGRSG) was responsible for recovering, identifying, and repatriating those lost during the Korean War. In late 1950 they recovered a set remains designated as Unknown X-5077 Tanggok near the village of Hwagye, South Korea. After extensive analysis by the Central Identification Unit-Kokura in Japan was unable to identify X-5077 the remains were declared unidentifiable. In February 1956, the remains were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, with other Korean War Unknowns.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In March 2019, DPAA disinterred X-5077 as part of Phase One of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Smith’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Smith’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.
Smith will be buried in Grant, Michigan, 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 18:17:212025-04-04 18:17:23Pfc. Thomas A. Smith
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Marcus A. Engesser, 21, of Vallejo, California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2023.
In late 1942, Engesser was a member of Company L, 31st Infantry Regiment in the Philippines during World War II, 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. Engesser 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, Engesser died Sept. 23, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 707.
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. Nine sets of remains from Common Grave 707 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In early 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 707 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Engesser’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, Engesser’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Pfc Engesser will be buried in Vallejo, California, 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 18:16:452025-04-04 18:16:47Pvt. 1st Class Marcus A. Engesser
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Private Cecil T. Hinson, 20, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for November 15, 2023.
In summer 1942, Hinson was a member of the Chemical Warfare Service, 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. Hinson 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, Hinson died July 28, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 215.
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. Five sets of remains from Common Grave 215 were identified, but the remaining seven were declared unidentifiable, including those of PVT Hinson. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In early 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 215 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Hinson’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.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Hinson’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Hinson will be buried in Rock Hill, South Carolina, 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 18:16:132025-04-04 18:16:14Private Cecil T. Hinson
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Holmes, H.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Fireman 3rd Class Harry R. Holmes, 19, of Hudson Falls, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Feb. 11, 2021.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Holmes was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Holmes.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Holmes.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Holmes’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Holmes’ 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.
Holmes will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on Oct. 24, 2024.
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.jpgadmin2025-04-04 18:15:422025-04-04 18:15:44Fireman 3rd Class Harry R. Holmes
USS Glennon Sailor Accounted for from WWII (Alexander, H.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Coxswain (Cox) Harley E. Alexander, 22, of New Madison, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Mar. 22, 2024.
On June 8, 1944, Alexander was assigned to the destroyer USS Glennon, which struck a mine off the coast of Quinnéville, France, which forced 16 sailors overboard. Ultimately, the majority of the crew had abandoned the vessel, but a few remained on board for salvage operations, including Alexander. Two days later, on June 10, the Glennon was struck by multiple artillery barrages from German forces on shore, eventually causing the ship to sink late in the evening. Following the attack, 38 sailors had been wounded and 25 were missing, including Cox Alexander. Other than the rescued sailors thrown overboard from the initial mine strike, there is not report of any recovery of other missing sailors. The remains of Cox Alexander were not accounted for and he was deemed non-recoverable on May 4, 1949.
In 1957, pieces of Glennon were hauled to shore by salvagers. A local resident was searching through the larger sections of wreckage and found human remains within the forward portion of the ship. The remains were turned over to American officials and processing determined the remains to be those of at least two individuals, subsequently designated X-9296 and X-9297. After unsuccessful efforts to identify the remains, they were interred on 4 March 1959 in Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupré, Belgium.
In 2021, DPAA researchers began an effort to associate unresolved sailors from the Glennon based on historical documentation of the remains removed from the ship’s wreckage. By August 2022, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed unknown remains X-9296 and X-9297 from Ardennes American Cemetery for comparison with unaccounted-for sailors from Glennon.
To identify Alexander’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Alexander’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England, 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.
Cox Alexander will be buried in New Madison, Ohio, on June 29, 2024.
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.jpgadmin2025-04-04 18:15:122025-04-04 18:15:13Navy Coxswain Harley E. Alexander
Staff Sgt. George E. Davies
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | May 23, 2024
Airman Accounted for from WWII (Davies, G.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. George E. Davies, 27, of Portland, Oregon, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 9, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Davies was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator bomber on which SSgt Davies was the assistant engineer was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, 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, Ploiesti, 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 Davies’ 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 Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
SSgt Davies’ name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
SSgt Davies will be buried in Portland, Oregon, on June 21, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pvt. 1st Class Mose E. Vance
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | May 23, 2024
Soldier Accounted for from WWII (Vance, M.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Mose E. Vance, 21, of Bradshaw, West Virginia, killed during World War II, was accounted for January 5, 2024.
In January 1945, Vance was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 180th 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 F found itself assigned to a 7-mile sector at Reipertswiller and Wildenguth, France. At some point on Jan 11, PFC Vance was killed, but due to the intensity of the fighting his body was unable to be recovered. With no record of German forces capturing Vance, and no remains recovered, the War Department issued a “Report of Death” in December 1945.
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 area. At the time, they were able to recover numerous sets of remains, one of which was designated X-6904 St. Avold (X-6904). 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 believe that Unknown X-6904 could be associated with PFC Vance. Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission workers exhumed X-6904 in August 2022 and transferred the remains to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
To identify Vance’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and other circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
PFC Vance’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 Vance will be buried in Paynesville, West Virginia, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pvt. 1st Class Erwin S. King
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | May 20, 2024
Marine Accounted for from WWII (King, E.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Marine Corps Pvt. 1st Class Erwin S. King, killed during World War II, was accounted for May 16, 2024.
In September 1942, King was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. On Sept. 24, he was killed during a firefight with Japanese forces. His body could not be recovered at the time because of the fighting. A burial party was dispatched to the area of “Hill X” and “Hill Y” on Sept. 25 where they quickly buried the Marines who died during the fighting on Sept. 24, including King, in Grave 3.
Private Randolph R. Edwards
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | May 20, 2024
Marine Accounted for from WWII (Edwards, R.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Marine Corps Private Randolph R. Edwards, killed during World War II, was accounted for May 17, 2024.
In September 1942, Edwards was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. On Sept. 24, he was killed during a firefight with Japanese forces. His body could not be recovered at the time because of the fighting. A burial party was dispatched to the area of “Hill X” and “Hill Y” on Sept. 25 where they quickly buried the Marines who died during the fighting on Sept. 24, including Edwards, in Grave 1.
Pvt. 1st Class Bryan Myers Jr.
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | May 16, 2024
Soldier Accounted for from Korean War (Myers, B.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Bryan Myers Jr., 21, of Cobden, Illinois, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for February 27, 2024.
In Sept. 1950, Myers was a member of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, during the Korean War. He was killed in action while his unit was defending the Pusan Perimeter, in South Korea. The exact circumstances of his death were unknown, and his remains were not accounted for during or after the war.
In 1950, the remains of an American soldier were recovered from a foxhole on the east side of Mt. Chulmol, near Haman, South Korea. Investigators estimated the death to have occurred in early September but were unable to make a positive identification. The remains, designated as Unknown X173 Masan, were initially interred in the United Nations Military Cemetery Masan, before ultimately being transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In March 2019, scientists from the DPAA laboratory exhumed Unknown X-173 from the Punchbowl for scientific analysis.
To identify Myers’ remains, scientists from DPAA used chest radiograph and other circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Pfc Myers’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.
Pfc Myers will be buried in Elwood, Illinois, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pfc. Thomas A. Smith
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | May 14, 2024
Soldier Accounted for from Korean War (Smith, T.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pfc. Thomas A. Smith, 17 of Grant, Michigan, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 22, 2023.
In the summer of 1950, Smith was a member of 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, Company A, 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Aug. 2 when his unit took part in defensive action near Chinju at the southern end of the Korean peninsula. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered, and there is no evidence that he was ever a prisoner of war. Smith was never listed as a prisoner of war, and the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps (AGRSG) was responsible for recovering, identifying, and repatriating those lost during the Korean War. In late 1950 they recovered a set remains designated as Unknown X-5077 Tanggok near the village of Hwagye, South Korea. After extensive analysis by the Central Identification Unit-Kokura in Japan was unable to identify X-5077 the remains were declared unidentifiable. In February 1956, the remains were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, with other Korean War Unknowns.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In March 2019, DPAA disinterred X-5077 as part of Phase One of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Smith’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Smith’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.
Smith will be buried in Grant, Michigan, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pvt. 1st Class Marcus A. Engesser
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | May 14, 2024
Soldier Accounted for from WWII (Engesser, M.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Marcus A. Engesser, 21, of Vallejo, California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2023.
In late 1942, Engesser was a member of Company L, 31st Infantry Regiment in the Philippines during World War II, 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. Engesser 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, Engesser died Sept. 23, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 707.
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. Nine sets of remains from Common Grave 707 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In early 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 707 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Engesser’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, Engesser’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Pfc Engesser will be buried in Vallejo, California, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Private Cecil T. Hinson
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | May 14, 2024
Soldier Accounted for from WWII (Hinson, C.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Private Cecil T. Hinson, 20, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for November 15, 2023.
In summer 1942, Hinson was a member of the Chemical Warfare Service, 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. Hinson 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, Hinson died July 28, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 215.
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. Five sets of remains from Common Grave 215 were identified, but the remaining seven were declared unidentifiable, including those of PVT Hinson. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In early 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 215 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Hinson’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.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Hinson’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Hinson will be buried in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Fireman 3rd Class Harry R. Holmes
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | May 14, 2024
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Holmes, H.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Fireman 3rd Class Harry R. Holmes, 19, of Hudson Falls, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Feb. 11, 2021.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Holmes was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Holmes.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Holmes.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Holmes’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Holmes’ 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.
Holmes will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on Oct. 24, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office at (800) 443-9298.
Navy Coxswain Harley E. Alexander
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | May 10, 2024
USS Glennon Sailor Accounted for from WWII (Alexander, H.)
Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Coxswain (Cox) Harley E. Alexander, 22, of New Madison, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Mar. 22, 2024.
On June 8, 1944, Alexander was assigned to the destroyer USS Glennon, which struck a mine off the coast of Quinnéville, France, which forced 16 sailors overboard. Ultimately, the majority of the crew had abandoned the vessel, but a few remained on board for salvage operations, including Alexander. Two days later, on June 10, the Glennon was struck by multiple artillery barrages from German forces on shore, eventually causing the ship to sink late in the evening. Following the attack, 38 sailors had been wounded and 25 were missing, including Cox Alexander. Other than the rescued sailors thrown overboard from the initial mine strike, there is not report of any recovery of other missing sailors. The remains of Cox Alexander were not accounted for and he was deemed non-recoverable on May 4, 1949.
In 1957, pieces of Glennon were hauled to shore by salvagers. A local resident was searching through the larger sections of wreckage and found human remains within the forward portion of the ship. The remains were turned over to American officials and processing determined the remains to be those of at least two individuals, subsequently designated X-9296 and X-9297. After unsuccessful efforts to identify the remains, they were interred on 4 March 1959 in Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupré, Belgium.
In 2021, DPAA researchers began an effort to associate unresolved sailors from the Glennon based on historical documentation of the remains removed from the ship’s wreckage. By August 2022, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed unknown remains X-9296 and X-9297 from Ardennes American Cemetery for comparison with unaccounted-for sailors from Glennon.
To identify Alexander’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Alexander’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England, 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.
Cox Alexander will be buried in New Madison, Ohio, on June 29, 2024.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office at (800) 443-9298.