The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Ralph D. Kolb, 19, of McGehee, Arkansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 14, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Kolb was assigned to the 343rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator bomber on which Kolb was the assistant radio operator 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 Kolb’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) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Kolb’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.
Kolb will be buried in McGehee, Arkansas on June 14, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
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Medal of Honor Soldier Accounted For From Korea (Story, L.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Cpl. Luther H. Story, 19, of Americus, Georgia, killed during the Korean War, and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, was accounted for April 6, 2023.
In late 1950, Story was a member of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On Sept. 1, 1950, Story was reported killed in action after his unit was engaged by the Korean People’s Army near Naktong River, South Korea. There is no indication his remains were recovered after the battle, and he was never recorded as a prisoner of war. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Sept. 1, 1953, and his remains were determined to be nonrecoverable in January 1956.
In October 1950, 11 sets of remains were recovered near Sangde-po, South Korea, eight were identified. One set remains designated X-260 Tanggok thought to be Story, but investigators at the Central Identification Unit-Kokura in Japan didn’t have enough identifying data to positively ID the remains. X-260 was later transported with all of the unidentified Korean War remains and buried as an Unknown 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 June 2021, the DPAA disinterred X-260 as part of Phase Three of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Story’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Story’s 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.
Story will be buried in Andersonville, Georgia, on May 29, 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 (Thomas, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. John B. Thomas, 23, of Rochester, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 30, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Thomas was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, the B-24 Liberator bomber Thomas was piloting 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 Thomas’ 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.
Thomas’ 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.
Thomas will be buried in North Rose, New York on May 20, 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 (Crotty, R.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Sgt. Richard E. Crotty, 22, of Geneva, Illinois, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Feb. 3, 2023.
In late 1950, Crotty was a member of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On 1 September 1950, Crotty’s was reported missing in action after his unit was engaged by the Korean People’s Army near Yongsan, South Korea. There is no indication his remains were recovered after the battle, and he was never recorded as a prisoner of war. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953, and his remains were determined to be nonrecoverable in January 1956.
A set of remains was recovered near Yongsan, in July 1951. The remains were thought to be Crotty and were designated X-1667 Tanggok and buried in the United Nations Cemetery Tanggok later that month. In March 1955, the Central Identification Unit Kokura in Japan began a reexamination of X-1667. They made several attempts between then and April 1955 before ultimately declaring the remains unidentifiable. X-1667 was later transported with all of the unidentified Korean War remains and buried as an Unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In April 2017, Crotty’s next of kin contacted the Army and requested the disinterment of X-1667 Tanggok as a potential association with Crotty. The remains were disinterred on Sept. 8, 2018, and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for analysis.
To identify Crotty’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental, anthropological, and isotope analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Crotty’s 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.
Crotty will be buried in Peoria, Illinois, on April 29, 2023.
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 (Callahan, A.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Mess Attendant 2nd Class Archie Callahan, Jr., 19, of Newark, New Jersey, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Nov. 27, 2017.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Callahan 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 Callahan.
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 Callahan.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Callahan’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), analysis.
Callahan’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.
Callahan will be buried on May 5, 2023, in Arlington National Cemetery.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs Office at (901) 874-2438.
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 02:24:452025-04-04 02:24:472nd Class Archie Callahan, Jr.
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Barncord, C.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Cecil E. Barncord, 24, Topeka, Kansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Oct. 14, 2016.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Barncord 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 Barncord.
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 Barncord.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Barncord’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Barncord’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.
Barncord will be buried on date yet to be determined in Mossy Rock, Washington.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs Office at (901) 874-2438.
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 02:24:142025-04-04 02:24:15Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Cecil E. Barncord
Airman Accounted For From World War II (Timpo, P.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Peter A. Timpo, 24, of Ecorse, Michigan, killed during World War II, was accounted for July 20, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Timpo was assigned to the 343rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Timpo was serving as the bombardier 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 Timpo’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Timpo’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.
Timpo 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 02:23:292025-04-04 02:23:312nd Lt. Peter A. Timpo
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Ellis Coon, 30, Mount Herman, Louisiana, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2022.
In late 1950, Coon was a member of C Battery, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit was engaged in the
Battle of Ch’ongch’on, in the vicinity of Kunu-ri, North Korea. Using information provided by repatriated POWs after the war, it was determined that Coon had been a Prisoner of War in Camp #5 and died of malnutrition and lack of medical care on or around Feb. 14, 1951. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death in March 1954 and declared Coon non-recoverable in January 1956.
On Dec. 21, 1993, North Korea unilaterally turned over 34 boxes of remains believed to be of U.S. service members who had died during the war. Among these remains were some reportedly recovered from Tongju-ri, Pyokdong County, North Phyongan Province—the same area as POW Camp #5. Scientific analysis by the DPAA Laboratory found that the five boxes of remains recovered from Tongu-ri contained commingled skeletal remains of several individuals.
To identify Coon’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) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Coon’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific also known as the Punchbowl Cemetery, 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.
Coon’s burial date and location has 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 (Carrillo, C.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Cpl. Carmen Carrillo, 20, of Lompoc, California, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Feb. 3, 2023.
In spring 1951, Carrillo was a member of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on May 17 after fighting against the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces in Gangwon Hongchun, Republic of Korea (R.O.K). There is no indication his remains were recovered after the battle and he was never recorded as a prisoner of war. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953, and his remains were determined to be nonrecoverable in January 1956.
In 2013 the Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification recovered multiple sets of remains near Gangwon Hongchun, R.O.K., which is consistent with the area associated with Carrillo. Six sets of remains were transferred to the United States, believed to belong to U.S. Service Members.
The remains were disinterred on Sept. 22, 2021, and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for analysis.
To identify Carrillo’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Carrillo’s 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.
Carrillo will be buried in his hometown 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 02:22:312025-04-04 02:22:32Cpl. Carmen Carrillo
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Slenker, L.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Leroy M. Slenker, 28, of El Segundo, California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Feb. 3, 2023.
In late 1941, Slenker was a member of the 75th Ordnance Depot Company, 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. Slenker 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, Slenker died Nov. 15, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 721.
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. Six sets of remains from Common Grave 721 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In June 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 721 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Slenker’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Slenker’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Slenker will be buried in Dixon, California 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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Staff Sgt. Ralph D. Kolb
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | April 27, 2023
Airman Accounted For From World War II (Kolb, R.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Ralph D. Kolb, 19, of McGehee, Arkansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 14, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Kolb was assigned to the 343rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator bomber on which Kolb was the assistant radio operator 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 Kolb’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) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Kolb’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.
Kolb will be buried in McGehee, Arkansas on June 14, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Cpl. Luther H. Story
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | April 26, 2023
Medal of Honor Soldier Accounted For From Korea (Story, L.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Cpl. Luther H. Story, 19, of Americus, Georgia, killed during the Korean War, and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, was accounted for April 6, 2023.
In late 1950, Story was a member of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On Sept. 1, 1950, Story was reported killed in action after his unit was engaged by the Korean People’s Army near Naktong River, South Korea. There is no indication his remains were recovered after the battle, and he was never recorded as a prisoner of war. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Sept. 1, 1953, and his remains were determined to be nonrecoverable in January 1956.
In October 1950, 11 sets of remains were recovered near Sangde-po, South Korea, eight were identified. One set remains designated X-260 Tanggok thought to be Story, but investigators at the Central Identification Unit-Kokura in Japan didn’t have enough identifying data to positively ID the remains. X-260 was later transported with all of the unidentified Korean War remains and buried as an Unknown 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 June 2021, the DPAA disinterred X-260 as part of Phase Three of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Story’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Story’s 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.
Story will be buried in Andersonville, Georgia, on May 29, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
1st Lt. John B. Thomas
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | April 20, 2023
Pilot Accounted For From World War II (Thomas, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. John B. Thomas, 23, of Rochester, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 30, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Thomas was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, the B-24 Liberator bomber Thomas was piloting 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 Thomas’ 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.
Thomas’ 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.
Thomas will be buried in North Rose, New York on May 20, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Sgt. Richard E. Crotty
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | April 17, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Crotty, R.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Sgt. Richard E. Crotty, 22, of Geneva, Illinois, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Feb. 3, 2023.
In late 1950, Crotty was a member of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On 1 September 1950, Crotty’s was reported missing in action after his unit was engaged by the Korean People’s Army near Yongsan, South Korea. There is no indication his remains were recovered after the battle, and he was never recorded as a prisoner of war. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953, and his remains were determined to be nonrecoverable in January 1956.
A set of remains was recovered near Yongsan, in July 1951. The remains were thought to be Crotty and were designated X-1667 Tanggok and buried in the United Nations Cemetery Tanggok later that month. In March 1955, the Central Identification Unit Kokura in Japan began a reexamination of X-1667. They made several attempts between then and April 1955 before ultimately declaring the remains unidentifiable. X-1667 was later transported with all of the unidentified Korean War remains and buried as an Unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In April 2017, Crotty’s next of kin contacted the Army and requested the disinterment of X-1667 Tanggok as a potential association with Crotty. The remains were disinterred on Sept. 8, 2018, and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for analysis.
To identify Crotty’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental, anthropological, and isotope analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Crotty’s 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.
Crotty will be buried in Peoria, Illinois, on April 29, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
2nd Class Archie Callahan, Jr.
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | April 6, 2023
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Callahan, A.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Mess Attendant 2nd Class Archie Callahan, Jr., 19, of Newark, New Jersey, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Nov. 27, 2017.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Callahan 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 Callahan.
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 Callahan.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Callahan’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), analysis.
Callahan’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.
Callahan will be buried on May 5, 2023, in Arlington National Cemetery.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs Office at (901) 874-2438.
Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Cecil E. Barncord
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | April 6, 2023
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Barncord, C.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Cecil E. Barncord, 24, Topeka, Kansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Oct. 14, 2016.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Barncord 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 Barncord.
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 Barncord.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Barncord’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Barncord’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.
Barncord will be buried on date yet to be determined in Mossy Rock, Washington.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs Office at (901) 874-2438.
2nd Lt. Peter A. Timpo
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | April 5, 2023
Airman Accounted For From World War II (Timpo, P.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Peter A. Timpo, 24, of Ecorse, Michigan, killed during World War II, was accounted for July 20, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Timpo was assigned to the 343rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Timpo was serving as the bombardier 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 Timpo’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Timpo’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.
Timpo 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.
Sgt. 1st Class Ellis Coon
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | April 5, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Coon, E.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Ellis Coon, 30, Mount Herman, Louisiana, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2022.
In late 1950, Coon was a member of C Battery, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit was engaged in the
Battle of Ch’ongch’on, in the vicinity of Kunu-ri, North Korea. Using information provided by repatriated POWs after the war, it was determined that Coon had been a Prisoner of War in Camp #5 and died of malnutrition and lack of medical care on or around Feb. 14, 1951. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death in March 1954 and declared Coon non-recoverable in January 1956.
On Dec. 21, 1993, North Korea unilaterally turned over 34 boxes of remains believed to be of U.S. service members who had died during the war. Among these remains were some reportedly recovered from Tongju-ri, Pyokdong County, North Phyongan Province—the same area as POW Camp #5. Scientific analysis by the DPAA Laboratory found that the five boxes of remains recovered from Tongu-ri contained commingled skeletal remains of several individuals.
To identify Coon’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) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Coon’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific also known as the Punchbowl Cemetery, 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.
Coon’s burial date and location has yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Cpl. Carmen Carrillo
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 28, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Carrillo, C.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Cpl. Carmen Carrillo, 20, of Lompoc, California, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Feb. 3, 2023.
In spring 1951, Carrillo was a member of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on May 17 after fighting against the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces in Gangwon Hongchun, Republic of Korea (R.O.K). There is no indication his remains were recovered after the battle and he was never recorded as a prisoner of war. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953, and his remains were determined to be nonrecoverable in January 1956.
In 2013 the Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification recovered multiple sets of remains near Gangwon Hongchun, R.O.K., which is consistent with the area associated with Carrillo. Six sets of remains were transferred to the United States, believed to belong to U.S. Service Members.
The remains were disinterred on Sept. 22, 2021, and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for analysis.
To identify Carrillo’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Carrillo’s 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.
Carrillo will be buried in his hometown on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Pvt. Leroy M. Slenker
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 28, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Slenker, L.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Leroy M. Slenker, 28, of El Segundo, California, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Feb. 3, 2023.
In late 1941, Slenker was a member of the 75th Ordnance Depot Company, 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. Slenker 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, Slenker died Nov. 15, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 721.
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. Six sets of remains from Common Grave 721 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In June 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 721 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Slenker’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Slenker’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Slenker will be buried in Dixon, California on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.