Airman Accounted For From World War II (Dickson, H.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Howard L. Dickson, 30, of Dayton, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 23, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Dickson was assigned to the 328th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator bomber on which Dickson was a gunner and instructor 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 at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification.
To identify Dickson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Dickson’s 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.
Dickson 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.
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USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Thompson, C.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Ship’s Cook 1st Class Clarence Thompson, 47, of New Orleans, Louisiana, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Oct. 14, 2021.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Thompson 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 Thompson.
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 Thompson.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Thompson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Thompson’s name is recorded on the Courts 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.
Thompson will be buried on Aug. 25, 2023, in Slidell, Louisiana.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Personnel Command’s Public Affairs Office at 901-874-4528.
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The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Wing O. Hom, 20, of Boston, Massachusetts, missing in action during World War II, was accounted for April 6, 2023.
In February 1944, Hom was assigned to the Company B, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. On Feb. 2, Hom went missing in action when his unit engaged in defensive fighting against German Forces near the town of Cisterna di Latina, Italy. His body was not recovered, and the Germans never reported him a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a finding of death on Feb. 3, 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 1946, AGRC investigators recovered a set of remains designated as X-541 Nettuno, three miles west of Cisterna thought to be associated with Hom. The investigators didn’t have enough identifying data to positively ID the remains and they were interred at USMC Nettuno, which is now Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. He was declared non-recoverable May 10, 1949.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Anzio battlefield, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains designated X-541 Nettuno recovered near Cisterna in September 1944, possibly belonged to Hom. The remains which had been buried at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuna, Italy in 1948, were disinterred in September 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To identify Hom remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), analysis.
Hom’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.
Hom will be buried in Brooklyn, New York on Oct. 11, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
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The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Dewey E. Rewis Jr., 18, of Waycross, Georgia, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for Oct. 25, 2022.
In late 1950, Rewis was a member of Battery D, 15th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after his unit were advancing along the eastern banks of the Chosin Reservoir, in North Korea, when they came under attack. In 1953, four POWs returned during Operation Big Switch reported Rewis had been a prisoner of war and died in March 1951 at an area called Death Valley; it was not an established POW Camp but a collection point for United Nations prisoners.
In the late summer and fall of 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea returned remains reportedly recovered in an area north of the Chosin Reservoir known as Death Valley, to the United Nations Command (UNC). However, Rewis’ name did not appear on any of the transfer rosters and the Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, did not associate any repatriated remains with him. Rewis was determined to be non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
On Dec. 1, 1993, North Korea turned over 33 boxes of remains to the UNC, which sent them to the Central Identification Lab in Hawaii to undergo forensic analysis. In 2007 one of the three sets of remains was identified as a 31st RCT soldier killed near the Chosin Reservoir.
To identify Rewis’ 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 (Y-STR), analysis.
Rewis’ name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, 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.
Rewis, will be buried in Echols County, Georgia on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
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Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Powell, R.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Rex W. Powell, 18, Valdese, North Carolina, who was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Feb. 13, 2023
In the winter of 1950, Powell was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 12, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. While it is possible Powell was captured, there was no record or eyewitness accounts of him being held as a prisoner of war, and no recovered remains were ever identified as him. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
During Operation GLORY in 1954, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea returned the remains of over 2,900 Americans. During the subsequent processing and identification of these remains, none were associated with Powell, and he was declared non-recoverable in January 1956. At the end of the identification process, 848 unidentified remains, including one designated X-15633 Operation GLORY, were interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In March 2021, during Phase Three of DPAA’s Korean War Disinterment Project, X-15633 was disinterred from the Punchbowl and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Powell’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Powell’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.
Powell will be buried in Salisbury, North Carolina on Aug. 11, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
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Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Garcia, C.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Sgt. Cresenciano Garcia, Jr., 22, of Laredo, Texas, died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for Apr. 25, 2023.
In August 1950, Garcia was a member of Headquarters Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1 during a battle just south of Kunu-ri, South Korea. His remains could not be immediately recovered and was officially declared dead on or around February 28, 1951 in POW Camp 5, in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.).
In 1954 the opposing nations reached an agreement to exchange war dead, the execution of which was known as Operation GLORY. Remains were sent to the Central Identification Unit, Kokura, Japan, for processing and identification. One set of Unknown Remains, designated X-14189, was reportedly recovered from Ch’angsong (Camp 1), D.P.R.K., and could not be identified after analysis. While that location is inconsistent with Sergeant Garcia’s reported location of death at Pyoktong (Camp 5), it is possible that remains from Camp 1 and 5 exhumations were inadvertently mixed when delivered during Operation GLORY. The remains were later transported with all the unidentified Korean War remains and buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1956.
On Dec. 9, 2019, DPAA personnel exhumed Unknown Remains X-14189 for further scientific testing and analysis. Further research by a DPAA historian and forensic anthropologist determined the remains could possibly be associated with Garcia. The remains were disinterred and sent to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
To identify Garcia’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.
Garcia’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.
Garcia will be buried in Laredo, Texas on Oct. 14, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
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Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Barrett, A.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pfc. Arthur C. Barrett, 27, of Swanton, Vermont, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for July 20, 2022.
In late 1941, Barrett was a member of the 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. Barrett 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, Barrett died July 19, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 312.
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. Twelve of the sets of remains from Common Grave 312 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In January 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 312 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Barrett’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Barrett’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Barrett will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on August 30, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
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Pilot Accounted For From World War II (Schmidt, P.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Paul W. Schmidt, 20, of Rockville Center, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 28, 2022.
In March 1945, Schmidt was assigned to 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 8th Air Force. His squadron was engaged with attacking German lines of transportation along the Rhine River. On March 23, Schmidt was attacking an enemy train near Sendenhorst, Germany, in his F-6D, a reconnaissance version of the P-51 Mustang fighter. His wingman reported he last saw Schmidt attacking the train, but he was never seen or heard from again. Schmidt was declared missing in action, but the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. On March 24, 1946, with no evidence Schmidt survived the fighting, the War Department issued a presumptive finding of death.
In May 1945, an American graves registration team conducted an investigation in the Warendorf area and recovered a set of unidentified remains, later designated X-635 Margraten. There was insufficient evidence to make an identification.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Warendorf area in September 2016, DPAA historians determined X-635 Margraten could be associated with Schmidt. The remains, buried as an Unknown at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, were disinterred in June 2018 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Schmidt’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Schmidt’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in St. Avold, France, along with the others still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Schmidt will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date later to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
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Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Thomas, G.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pfc. George B. Thomas, 31, of East Providence, Rhode Island, killed during World War II, was accounted for March 20, 2023.
In November 1944, Thomas was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division. His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Hürtgen, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he was reported missing in action on Nov. 24. His body was not recovered during the battle, and the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a finding of death on Nov. 25, 1945.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. They conducted several investigations in the Hürtgen area between 1946 and 1950 but were unable to identify Thomas’ remains. He was declared nonrecoverable on Feb. 21, 1951.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that Thomas could be associated to one of two sets of unidentified comingled remains, designated X-7192 Neuville and X-7193 Neuville, which had been recovered together from a field south of Hürtgen in 1948. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery in 1950, were disinterred in July 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for analysis and identification.
To identify Thomas’ remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Thomas’ name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium, along with the others still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Thomas will be buried in Exeter, Rhode Island on July 10, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
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Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Brooks, J.C.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. J.C. Brooks, 19, of Rockfield, Kentucky, who was killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Brooks was a member of Company I, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. His unit was part of Operation HUSKY, the Allied effort from July 10 to Aug. 17 to capture Sicily from Benito Mussolini’s fascist Italian regime. Brooks was killed during the Battle of Troina on Aug. 1 while leading an advance against German forces as first scout. He was unable to be recovered because of the fighting.
The American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) was charged with recovering the remains of fallen service members in the European Theater following the war. Though they searched the area near Troina, they were unable to find remains that could be identified as Brooks. He was declared non-recoverable on April 9, 1947.
In 2016, DPAA historians began to investigate U.S. losses from the 1943 invasion of Sicily. During this research, one Unknown, X-22227 Monte Soprano, was a candidate to match Brooks. After extensive research and record comparison by DPAA historians and analysts, X-22227 was disinterred in June 2019 and sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for analysis.
To identify Brooks’ 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.
Brooks’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the 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.
Brooks will be buried September 24, 2023, in Cecilia, Kentucky.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
1st Lt. Howard L. Dickson
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 17, 2023
Airman Accounted For From World War II (Dickson, H.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Howard L. Dickson, 30, of Dayton, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 23, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Dickson was assigned to the 328th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator bomber on which Dickson was a gunner and instructor 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 at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification.
To identify Dickson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Dickson’s 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.
Dickson 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.
Ship’s Cook 1st Class Clarence Thompson
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 12, 2023
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Thompson, C.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Ship’s Cook 1st Class Clarence Thompson, 47, of New Orleans, Louisiana, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Oct. 14, 2021.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Thompson 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 Thompson.
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 Thompson.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Thompson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Thompson’s name is recorded on the Courts 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.
Thompson will be buried on Aug. 25, 2023, in Slidell, Louisiana.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Personnel Command’s Public Affairs Office at 901-874-4528.
Pvt. Wing O. Hom
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 11, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Hom, W.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Wing O. Hom, 20, of Boston, Massachusetts, missing in action during World War II, was accounted for April 6, 2023.
In February 1944, Hom was assigned to the Company B, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. On Feb. 2, Hom went missing in action when his unit engaged in defensive fighting against German Forces near the town of Cisterna di Latina, Italy. His body was not recovered, and the Germans never reported him a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a finding of death on Feb. 3, 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 1946, AGRC investigators recovered a set of remains designated as X-541 Nettuno, three miles west of Cisterna thought to be associated with Hom. The investigators didn’t have enough identifying data to positively ID the remains and they were interred at USMC Nettuno, which is now Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. He was declared non-recoverable May 10, 1949.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Anzio battlefield, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains designated X-541 Nettuno recovered near Cisterna in September 1944, possibly belonged to Hom. The remains which had been buried at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuna, Italy in 1948, were disinterred in September 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To identify Hom remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), analysis.
Hom’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.
Hom will be buried in Brooklyn, New York on Oct. 11, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Cpl. Dewey E. Rewis Jr.
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 11, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Rewis, D.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Dewey E. Rewis Jr., 18, of Waycross, Georgia, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for Oct. 25, 2022.
In late 1950, Rewis was a member of Battery D, 15th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after his unit were advancing along the eastern banks of the Chosin Reservoir, in North Korea, when they came under attack. In 1953, four POWs returned during Operation Big Switch reported Rewis had been a prisoner of war and died in March 1951 at an area called Death Valley; it was not an established POW Camp but a collection point for United Nations prisoners.
In the late summer and fall of 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea returned remains reportedly recovered in an area north of the Chosin Reservoir known as Death Valley, to the United Nations Command (UNC). However, Rewis’ name did not appear on any of the transfer rosters and the Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, did not associate any repatriated remains with him. Rewis was determined to be non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
On Dec. 1, 1993, North Korea turned over 33 boxes of remains to the UNC, which sent them to the Central Identification Lab in Hawaii to undergo forensic analysis. In 2007 one of the three sets of remains was identified as a 31st RCT soldier killed near the Chosin Reservoir.
To identify Rewis’ 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 (Y-STR), analysis.
Rewis’ name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, 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.
Rewis, will be buried in Echols County, Georgia on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Cpl. Rex W. Powell
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 10, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Powell, R.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Rex W. Powell, 18, Valdese, North Carolina, who was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Feb. 13, 2023
In the winter of 1950, Powell was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 12, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. While it is possible Powell was captured, there was no record or eyewitness accounts of him being held as a prisoner of war, and no recovered remains were ever identified as him. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
During Operation GLORY in 1954, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea returned the remains of over 2,900 Americans. During the subsequent processing and identification of these remains, none were associated with Powell, and he was declared non-recoverable in January 1956. At the end of the identification process, 848 unidentified remains, including one designated X-15633 Operation GLORY, were interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In March 2021, during Phase Three of DPAA’s Korean War Disinterment Project, X-15633 was disinterred from the Punchbowl and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Powell’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Powell’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.
Powell will be buried in Salisbury, North Carolina on Aug. 11, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Sgt. Cresenciano Garcia, Jr.
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 10, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Garcia, C.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Sgt. Cresenciano Garcia, Jr., 22, of Laredo, Texas, died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for Apr. 25, 2023.
In August 1950, Garcia was a member of Headquarters Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1 during a battle just south of Kunu-ri, South Korea. His remains could not be immediately recovered and was officially declared dead on or around February 28, 1951 in POW Camp 5, in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.).
In 1954 the opposing nations reached an agreement to exchange war dead, the execution of which was known as Operation GLORY. Remains were sent to the Central Identification Unit, Kokura, Japan, for processing and identification. One set of Unknown Remains, designated X-14189, was reportedly recovered from Ch’angsong (Camp 1), D.P.R.K., and could not be identified after analysis. While that location is inconsistent with Sergeant Garcia’s reported location of death at Pyoktong (Camp 5), it is possible that remains from Camp 1 and 5 exhumations were inadvertently mixed when delivered during Operation GLORY. The remains were later transported with all the unidentified Korean War remains and buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1956.
On Dec. 9, 2019, DPAA personnel exhumed Unknown Remains X-14189 for further scientific testing and analysis. Further research by a DPAA historian and forensic anthropologist determined the remains could possibly be associated with Garcia. The remains were disinterred and sent to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
To identify Garcia’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.
Garcia’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.
Garcia will be buried in Laredo, Texas on Oct. 14, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pfc. Arthur C. Barrett
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | July 7, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Barrett, A.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pfc. Arthur C. Barrett, 27, of Swanton, Vermont, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for July 20, 2022.
In late 1941, Barrett was a member of the 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. Barrett 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, Barrett died July 19, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 312.
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. Twelve of the sets of remains from Common Grave 312 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In January 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 312 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Barrett’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Barrett’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Barrett will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on August 30, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
1st Lt. Paul W. Schmidt
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | June 27, 2023
Pilot Accounted For From World War II (Schmidt, P.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Paul W. Schmidt, 20, of Rockville Center, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 28, 2022.
In March 1945, Schmidt was assigned to 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 8th Air Force. His squadron was engaged with attacking German lines of transportation along the Rhine River. On March 23, Schmidt was attacking an enemy train near Sendenhorst, Germany, in his F-6D, a reconnaissance version of the P-51 Mustang fighter. His wingman reported he last saw Schmidt attacking the train, but he was never seen or heard from again. Schmidt was declared missing in action, but the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. On March 24, 1946, with no evidence Schmidt survived the fighting, the War Department issued a presumptive finding of death.
In May 1945, an American graves registration team conducted an investigation in the Warendorf area and recovered a set of unidentified remains, later designated X-635 Margraten. There was insufficient evidence to make an identification.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Warendorf area in September 2016, DPAA historians determined X-635 Margraten could be associated with Schmidt. The remains, buried as an Unknown at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, were disinterred in June 2018 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Schmidt’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Schmidt’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in St. Avold, France, along with the others still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Schmidt will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date later to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pfc. George B. Thomas
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | June 27, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Thomas, G.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pfc. George B. Thomas, 31, of East Providence, Rhode Island, killed during World War II, was accounted for March 20, 2023.
In November 1944, Thomas was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division. His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Hürtgen, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he was reported missing in action on Nov. 24. His body was not recovered during the battle, and the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a finding of death on Nov. 25, 1945.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. They conducted several investigations in the Hürtgen area between 1946 and 1950 but were unable to identify Thomas’ remains. He was declared nonrecoverable on Feb. 21, 1951.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that Thomas could be associated to one of two sets of unidentified comingled remains, designated X-7192 Neuville and X-7193 Neuville, which had been recovered together from a field south of Hürtgen in 1948. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery in 1950, were disinterred in July 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for analysis and identification.
To identify Thomas’ remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Thomas’ name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium, along with the others still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Thomas will be buried in Exeter, Rhode Island on July 10, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pvt. J.C. Brooks
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | June 26, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Brooks, J.C.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. J.C. Brooks, 19, of Rockfield, Kentucky, who was killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Brooks was a member of Company I, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. His unit was part of Operation HUSKY, the Allied effort from July 10 to Aug. 17 to capture Sicily from Benito Mussolini’s fascist Italian regime. Brooks was killed during the Battle of Troina on Aug. 1 while leading an advance against German forces as first scout. He was unable to be recovered because of the fighting.
The American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) was charged with recovering the remains of fallen service members in the European Theater following the war. Though they searched the area near Troina, they were unable to find remains that could be identified as Brooks. He was declared non-recoverable on April 9, 1947.
In 2016, DPAA historians began to investigate U.S. losses from the 1943 invasion of Sicily. During this research, one Unknown, X-22227 Monte Soprano, was a candidate to match Brooks. After extensive research and record comparison by DPAA historians and analysts, X-22227 was disinterred in June 2019 and sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for analysis.
To identify Brooks’ 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.
Brooks’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the 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.
Brooks will be buried September 24, 2023, in Cecilia, Kentucky.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.