The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Walter Archie Ross Jr., 29, of St. Louis, Missouri, who died in captivity during the Korean War, was accounted for June 7, 2024.
Ross’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In early 1951, Ross was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on 14 February 1951, after his unit engaged the Chinese Communist Forces near Sang-nok, South Korea and the division’s defensive positions were attacked and overrun.
Following the war, two repatriated U.S. POWs indicated that Ross was captured by the CCF, and while in Captivity died from dysentery in April 1951 at the Suan POW Camp Complex in North Korea. Ross remained unaccounted for and determined to be nonrecoverable in January 1956.
In 1994, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea government, unilaterally turned over 14 boxes of remains believed to be those of U.S. service members. Documentation accompanying those remains indicated that the remains in box 3 were exhumed from Suan County. This information correlates with Ross’ last reported location at the Suan POW Camp Complex.
To identify Ross’s remains, scientists from DPAA used DNA, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph and other circumstantial evidence.
Ross’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.
Ross will be buried in Missouri, 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.jpgadmin2025-04-04 21:52:372025-04-04 21:52:39Sgt. 1st Class Walter Archie Ross Jr.
Pilot Accounted For From World War II (Tennyson, H.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Herbert G. Tennyson, 24, of Wichita, Kansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 25, 2024.
Tennyson’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In March 1944, Tennyson was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea. On the morning of March 11, Tennyson, the pilot onboard a B-24D “Liberator” Heaven Can Wait departed Nadzab Strip #1, Papua New Guinea, as part of a bombing mission against enemy positions at Boram Airfield, and Awar Point, Hansa Bay, located along the northern coast of New Guinea. Observers from other aircraft in the formation reported seeing flames erupting from the bomb bay, spreading to the tail quickly. Heaven Can Wait was seen pitching up violently before banking left and crashing down into the water. It is believed anti-aircraft fire hit the plane, causing un-dropped ordnance to explode. Several aircraft circled the crash site in hopes of locating any possible survivors, but none could be seen.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), the military unit responsible for investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater, conducted exhaustive searches of battle areas and crash sites in New Guinea, concluding their search in late 1948. In March 1950, a board of AGRS officials concluded they were unable to locate any remains of Tennyson and the other Heaven Can Wait crew members. They were designated as non-recoverable.
Between 2013 and 2017, the family of 2nd Lt. Kelly, Heaven Can Wait bombardier, undertook a dedicated archival research effort to collect historical documents and eyewitness accounts of the loss of the Heaven Can Wait crew. The family worked with Dr. Scott Althaus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to complete this effort and provided this documentation. In October 2017, Project Recover, a DPAA partner organization, located the wreckage of a B-24 aircraft in Hansa Bay while making sonar scans as part of a unilateral remote sensing survey effort. In 2019, a DPAA underwater investigation team (UIT) conducted several surveys of the wreckage, performing visual inspections and clearing the site of any unexploded ordnance.
From March 9 through April 13, 2023, an underwater recovery team (RT-U) excavated the crash site, where they recovered possible osseous materials and material evidence, to include life support equipment and identification tags. The recovered evidence was sent to the DPAA Laboratory for review and analysis.
To identify Tennyson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Tennyson’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Tennyson will be buried in Wichita, Kansas, 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.jpgadmin2025-04-04 21:52:022025-04-04 21:52:031st Lt. Herbert G. Tennyson
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Loyd, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. James C. Loyd, 19, of Brilliant, Alabama, missing in action during World War II, was accounted for March 14, 2024.
Loyd’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In January 1944, Loyd was assigned to the Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. On Jan. 31, Loyd was reported missing when his unit was engaged by German Forces near the town of Cisterna di Latina (Cisterna), Italy. He was last seen during a reconnaissance patrol north of the village of Conca. His body was not recovered, and the Germans never reported him a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a finding of death on Apr. 19, 1945.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the European Theater. In 1945, AGRC investigators recovered a set of remains designated as X-834, near the small hamlet of Ponte Rotto thought to be associated with Loyd. The investigators didn’t have enough identifying data to positively ID the remains and they were interred at U.S. Military Cemetery Nettuno, which is now Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. He was declared non-recoverable in 1948.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Anzio battlefield, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains designated X-834 recovered near Ponte Rotto possibly belonged to Pvt. Loyd. The remains which had been buried at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy, in 1948, were disinterred in September 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Loyd’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Loyd’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery an American Battle Monuments Commission 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.
Loyd will be buried in Elwood, Illinois, in May 2025.
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 21:51:252025-04-04 21:51:26Pvt. James C. Loyd
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Edwards, W.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pfc. Willard H. Edwards, 39 of Wise, Virginia, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 26, 2023.
Edwards’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In the winter of 1950, Edwards was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported killed in action on Dec. 2 after his unit was attacked by enemy forces as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
In 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea unilaterally turned over remains to the United States, including one set, designated Unknown X-15728 Operation Glory. The remains were reportedly recovered from prisoner of war camps, United Nations cemeteries and isolated burial sites. None of the remains could be identified as Edwards and he was declared non-recoverable in January 1956. The remains were subsequently buried as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
In March 2021, DPAA disinterred X-15728, and after a decade of scientific advances and increased historical research, DPAA was able to positively associate X-15728 to Edwards.
To identify Edwards’ remains, scientists from DPAA used chest radiograph comparison, dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Edwards’ 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.
Edwards will be buried in Mims, Florida, 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.jpgadmin2025-04-04 21:50:572025-04-04 21:50:58Pfc. Willard H. Edwards
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Force Tech5 William E. Eby, 19, of Portland, Oregan, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for August 7, 2024.
Eby’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1941, Eby was a member of 409th Signal Company, Aviation, 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. Eby 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, Eby died June 28, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 407.
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. Sixteen of the 25 sets of remains from Common Grave 407 were identified, while the remaining nine were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In November 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 407 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Eby’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 analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Eby’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Today, Eby 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.
Eby will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, 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.jpgadmin2025-04-04 21:50:242025-04-04 21:50:25Tech5 William E. Eby
Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Reimer, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Navy Aviation Chief Metalsmith John W. Reimer, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 27, 2025.
In late 1941, Reimer was a member of Patrol Squadron 102, 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. Reimer 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, Reimer died on Oct. 24, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 710.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Reimer’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.jpgadmin2025-04-04 21:49:462025-04-04 21:49:47Chief Metalsmith John W. Reimer
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Erwin H. Schopp, 30, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 24, 2025.
In late 1941, Schopp was a member of Headquarters Battery, 59th Coastal Artillery 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. Schopp was among those reported captured when U.S. forces on Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese. He was subsequently 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, Schopp died on 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 Schopp’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.jpgadmin2025-04-04 21:49:142025-04-04 21:49:16Pvt. Erwin H. Schopp
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Master Sgt. Luther Grace, 34, of Lumber City, Georgia, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Dec. 18, 2024.
Grace’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In July 1950, Grace was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 30 in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. There was no evidence that he was held as a prisoner of war. The U.S. Army issued presumptive finding of death of 31 December 1953.
In 1954, the United Nations Command and the Chinese Communist Forces exchanged the remains of fallen service personnel in an effort named Operation GLORY. Grace’s remains could not be identified by the Central Identification Unit Laboratory at Kokura, Japan at the time, and were designated Unknown X-15760. In 1956, all of the unidentified Korean War remains, including Unknown X-15760 were transferred, as Unknowns, to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, DPAA researchers and anthropologists proposed a plan to disinter and identify the 652 Korean War unknown burials from the Punchbowl. Unknown X-15760 was disinterred March 29, 2021, during phase three of the Korean War Disinterment Project and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory.
To identify Grace’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis as well as chest radiograph comparison. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Grace’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.
Grace will be buried in Lumber City, Georgia, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Mestas, O.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. Orace J. Mestas, 22, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Jan. 31, 2024.
In April 1951, Mestas was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action near Chip’o-ri, North Korea after his unit’s position was attacked on April 25. Due to intense fighting in the area, his body could not be recovered. The U.S. Army determined him to be nonrecoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Mestas’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.jpgadmin2025-04-04 21:48:152025-04-04 21:48:16Sgt. Orace J. Mestas
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. James B. Brock, 20, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Jan. 29, 2025.
In December 1950, Brock was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Brock was reported missing in action (MIA) after his unit was forced to retreat from Hagaru-ri, North Korea, after the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The U.S. Army did not receive any information during or after the war to indicate Brock was ever held as a prisoner of war.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Brock’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.jpgadmin2025-04-04 21:47:502025-04-04 21:47:52Sgt. James B. Brock
Sgt. 1st Class Walter Archie Ross Jr.
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Feb. 24, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Ross, W.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Walter Archie Ross Jr., 29, of St. Louis, Missouri, who died in captivity during the Korean War, was accounted for June 7, 2024.
Ross’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In early 1951, Ross was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on 14 February 1951, after his unit engaged the Chinese Communist Forces near Sang-nok, South Korea and the division’s defensive positions were attacked and overrun.
Following the war, two repatriated U.S. POWs indicated that Ross was captured by the CCF, and while in Captivity died from dysentery in April 1951 at the Suan POW Camp Complex in North Korea. Ross remained unaccounted for and determined to be nonrecoverable in January 1956.
In 1994, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea government, unilaterally turned over 14 boxes of remains believed to be those of U.S. service members. Documentation accompanying those remains indicated that the remains in box 3 were exhumed from Suan County. This information correlates with Ross’ last reported location at the Suan POW Camp Complex.
To identify Ross’s remains, scientists from DPAA used DNA, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph and other circumstantial evidence.
Ross’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.
Ross will be buried in Missouri, on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
1st Lt. Herbert G. Tennyson
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Feb. 24, 2025
Pilot Accounted For From World War II (Tennyson, H.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Herbert G. Tennyson, 24, of Wichita, Kansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 25, 2024.
Tennyson’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In March 1944, Tennyson was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea. On the morning of March 11, Tennyson, the pilot onboard a B-24D “Liberator” Heaven Can Wait departed Nadzab Strip #1, Papua New Guinea, as part of a bombing mission against enemy positions at Boram Airfield, and Awar Point, Hansa Bay, located along the northern coast of New Guinea. Observers from other aircraft in the formation reported seeing flames erupting from the bomb bay, spreading to the tail quickly. Heaven Can Wait was seen pitching up violently before banking left and crashing down into the water. It is believed anti-aircraft fire hit the plane, causing un-dropped ordnance to explode. Several aircraft circled the crash site in hopes of locating any possible survivors, but none could be seen.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), the military unit responsible for investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater, conducted exhaustive searches of battle areas and crash sites in New Guinea, concluding their search in late 1948. In March 1950, a board of AGRS officials concluded they were unable to locate any remains of Tennyson and the other Heaven Can Wait crew members. They were designated as non-recoverable.
Between 2013 and 2017, the family of 2nd Lt. Kelly, Heaven Can Wait bombardier, undertook a dedicated archival research effort to collect historical documents and eyewitness accounts of the loss of the Heaven Can Wait crew. The family worked with Dr. Scott Althaus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to complete this effort and provided this documentation. In October 2017, Project Recover, a DPAA partner organization, located the wreckage of a B-24 aircraft in Hansa Bay while making sonar scans as part of a unilateral remote sensing survey effort. In 2019, a DPAA underwater investigation team (UIT) conducted several surveys of the wreckage, performing visual inspections and clearing the site of any unexploded ordnance.
From March 9 through April 13, 2023, an underwater recovery team (RT-U) excavated the crash site, where they recovered possible osseous materials and material evidence, to include life support equipment and identification tags. The recovered evidence was sent to the DPAA Laboratory for review and analysis.
To identify Tennyson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Tennyson’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Tennyson will be buried in Wichita, Kansas, on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pvt. James C. Loyd
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Feb. 24, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Loyd, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. James C. Loyd, 19, of Brilliant, Alabama, missing in action during World War II, was accounted for March 14, 2024.
Loyd’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In January 1944, Loyd was assigned to the Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. On Jan. 31, Loyd was reported missing when his unit was engaged by German Forces near the town of Cisterna di Latina (Cisterna), Italy. He was last seen during a reconnaissance patrol north of the village of Conca. His body was not recovered, and the Germans never reported him a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a finding of death on Apr. 19, 1945.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the European Theater. In 1945, AGRC investigators recovered a set of remains designated as X-834, near the small hamlet of Ponte Rotto thought to be associated with Loyd. The investigators didn’t have enough identifying data to positively ID the remains and they were interred at U.S. Military Cemetery Nettuno, which is now Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. He was declared non-recoverable in 1948.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Anzio battlefield, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains designated X-834 recovered near Ponte Rotto possibly belonged to Pvt. Loyd. The remains which had been buried at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy, in 1948, were disinterred in September 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Loyd’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Loyd’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery an American Battle Monuments Commission 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.
Loyd will be buried in Elwood, Illinois, in May 2025.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pfc. Willard H. Edwards
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Feb. 24, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Edwards, W.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pfc. Willard H. Edwards, 39 of Wise, Virginia, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 26, 2023.
Edwards’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In the winter of 1950, Edwards was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported killed in action on Dec. 2 after his unit was attacked by enemy forces as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
In 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea unilaterally turned over remains to the United States, including one set, designated Unknown X-15728 Operation Glory. The remains were reportedly recovered from prisoner of war camps, United Nations cemeteries and isolated burial sites. None of the remains could be identified as Edwards and he was declared non-recoverable in January 1956. The remains were subsequently buried as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
In March 2021, DPAA disinterred X-15728, and after a decade of scientific advances and increased historical research, DPAA was able to positively associate X-15728 to Edwards.
To identify Edwards’ remains, scientists from DPAA used chest radiograph comparison, dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Edwards’ 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.
Edwards will be buried in Mims, Florida, on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Tech5 William E. Eby
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Feb. 24, 2025
Airman Accounted For From World War II (Eby, W.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Force Tech5 William E. Eby, 19, of Portland, Oregan, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for August 7, 2024.
Eby’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1941, Eby was a member of 409th Signal Company, Aviation, 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. Eby 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, Eby died June 28, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 407.
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. Sixteen of the 25 sets of remains from Common Grave 407 were identified, while the remaining nine were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In November 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 407 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Eby’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 analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Eby’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Today, Eby 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.
Eby will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Chief Metalsmith John W. Reimer
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Feb. 14, 2025
Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Reimer, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Navy Aviation Chief Metalsmith John W. Reimer, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 27, 2025.
In late 1941, Reimer was a member of Patrol Squadron 102, 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. Reimer 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, Reimer died on Oct. 24, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 710.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Reimer’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Pvt. Erwin H. Schopp
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Feb. 14, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From WWII (Schopp, E.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Erwin H. Schopp, 30, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 24, 2025.
In late 1941, Schopp was a member of Headquarters Battery, 59th Coastal Artillery 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. Schopp was among those reported captured when U.S. forces on Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese. He was subsequently 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, Schopp died on 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 Schopp’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Master Sgt. Luther Grace
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Feb. 11, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Grace, L.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Master Sgt. Luther Grace, 34, of Lumber City, Georgia, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Dec. 18, 2024.
Grace’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In July 1950, Grace was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 30 in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. There was no evidence that he was held as a prisoner of war. The U.S. Army issued presumptive finding of death of 31 December 1953.
In 1954, the United Nations Command and the Chinese Communist Forces exchanged the remains of fallen service personnel in an effort named Operation GLORY. Grace’s remains could not be identified by the Central Identification Unit Laboratory at Kokura, Japan at the time, and were designated Unknown X-15760. In 1956, all of the unidentified Korean War remains, including Unknown X-15760 were transferred, as Unknowns, to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, DPAA researchers and anthropologists proposed a plan to disinter and identify the 652 Korean War unknown burials from the Punchbowl. Unknown X-15760 was disinterred March 29, 2021, during phase three of the Korean War Disinterment Project and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory.
To identify Grace’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis as well as chest radiograph comparison. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Grace’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.
Grace will be buried in Lumber City, Georgia, on a date to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Sgt. Orace J. Mestas
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Feb. 4, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Mestas, O.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. Orace J. Mestas, 22, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Jan. 31, 2024.
In April 1951, Mestas was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action near Chip’o-ri, North Korea after his unit’s position was attacked on April 25. Due to intense fighting in the area, his body could not be recovered. The U.S. Army determined him to be nonrecoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Mestas’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
Sgt. James B. Brock
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | Jan. 31, 2025
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Brock, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. James B. Brock, 20, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Jan. 29, 2025.
In December 1950, Brock was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Brock was reported missing in action (MIA) after his unit was forced to retreat from Hagaru-ri, North Korea, after the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The U.S. Army did not receive any information during or after the war to indicate Brock was ever held as a prisoner of war.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Brock’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.