The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. John W. Ropp, 31, of Sierra Madre, California who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Oct. 25, 2022.
In late 1941, Ropp was a member of the 2nd Observation Squadron in the Philippines, 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. Ropp 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, Ropp died July 28, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 215.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Five of the sets of remains from Common Grave 215 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 215 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Ropp’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.
Ropp’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) site, along with others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Ropp will be buried in Camarillo, California 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 02:21:272025-04-04 02:21:28Pvt. John W. Ropp
Airman Accounted For From World War II (Mills, E.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Edgar L. Mills, 25, of Tampa, Florida, killed during World War II, was accounted for Feb. 13, 2023.
In the summer of 1944, Mills was assigned to the 816th Bomber Squadron (Heavy), 483rd Bomber Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force. On July 18, Mills an armorer gunner, onboard a B-17G was killed in action when the bomber was shot down during a bombing raid on enemy aircraft and air defense installations around Memmingen, Germany. His body was not recovered, and the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a finding of death on July 26, 1951.
Due to the damage to the B-17G the pilot ordered the crew to bail out. Six of the airmen parachuted successfully while the other five crew members including Mills were believed to still be on board. The surviving crew witnessed the aircraft explode in an area south of Memmingen, Germany.
Beginning in 1946, 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 searched the area of the crash site, they discovered two sets of remains however none were associated with Mills. He was declared non-recoverable July 26, 1951.
In 2012 three German witnesses led what is now known as DPAA to an aircraft crash site near Kimratshofen, Germany. Which resulted in subsequent investigation and recovery efforts in 2013, with a 2018 recovery mission finding possible human remains and material evidence.
In 2019, a DPAA partner team from the University of New Orleans continued work at the Kimratshofen site, recovering additional material, which was also transferred to the DPAA laboratory in Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
To identify Mills’ remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), analysis.
Mills’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Epinal American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Dinoze, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Mills’ will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on May 4, 2023.
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 02:20:562025-04-04 02:20:58Staff Sgt. Edgar L. Mills
Airman Accounted For From World War II (Holoka, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. John Holoka Jr., 25, of Cresson, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 24, 2023.
In the summer of 1944, Holoka was assigned to the 844th Bombardment Squadron, 489th Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force. On June 22, Holoka was an engineer on a B-24H Liberator that was struck by anti-aircraft after a bombing raid on a German airfield in Saint-Cyr-l’École, near Versailles, France.
Despite the damage to the B-24 Liberator, the pilot was able to nurse the aircraft until it was over the English coast, whereupon he ordered his crew to bail out. Seven of the airmen parachuted successfully while the other three crew members, including Holoka, were still on board. Two of the crew witnessed the aircraft crash into a farm in West Sussex, England.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the European Theater. In November 1947, AGRC investigators searched the area of the crash site, but they did not discover the remains of any other crewmembers. Holoka was declared non-recoverable May 10, 1950.
A local aviation archaeology group attempted to excavate the crash site in 1974, to search for aircraft parts. A number of U.S. Department of Defense investigation and recovery efforts took place in 2017 and 2019, with a June 2021 recovery mission finding possible human remains and material evidence.
To identify Holoka’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis as well as material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used dental, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (Y-STR) analysis.
Holoka’s name is recorded on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Cambridge, United Kingdom, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Holoka will be buried in Portage, Pennsylvania on May 1, 2023.
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 02:20:282025-04-04 02:20:29Tech. Sgt. John Holoka Jr.
Airman Accounted For From World War II (Montemurro, F.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Francis V. Montemurro, 25, of New York City, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 26, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Montemurro was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator bomber on which Montemurro was serving as the navigator 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 Montemurro’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Montemurro’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the North Africa American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Tunis, Tunisia, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Montemurro will be buried in San Diego, California on June 2, 2023.
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 02:19:592025-04-04 02:20:002nd Lt. Francis V. Montemurro
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Delbert L. White, 20, of Ottumwa, Iowa, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2022.
In late 1950, White was a member of D Company, 2nd Engineer (Combat) Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On Dec. 1, White and many other 2nd ID Soldiers were captured by the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces as they attempted to block the CPVF and allow the rest of 2nd ID to escape south. In August 1953, the CPVF sent a list to United Nations Command stating White died in March 1951 as a prisoner of war at POW Camp #1. However, in September 1953, two returning American POWs said he died in February 1951 at POW Camp #5. Despite conflicting reports, the Army determined March 18, 1951 was the latest White could have been alive and declared that his date of death.
During Operation GLORY in the fall of 1954, 550 sets of remains from reported to be from Prisoner of War Camp #5 were returned to United Nations Command. White was among the 38 who could not be identified. Those unidentified remains were buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu in 1956.
In October 2019, during Phase 2 of DPAA’s Korean War Disinterment Project, X-14794 Operation GLORY was disinterred from the Punchbowl as part of the planned exhumation of Operation GLORY burials originating from Camp #5, and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify White’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph comparison and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
White’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.
White will be buried in Ottumwa, Iowa on 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 02:19:332025-04-04 02:19:34Cpl. Delbert L. White
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Robidoux, L.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. Lawrence J. Robidoux 22, of Cumberland, Rhode Island, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for Jan. 24, 2023.
In late 1950, Robidoux was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 27, 1950, after his unit’s withdrawal from Ipsok in North Korea. In 1953, several POWs returned during Operation Big Switch reported Robidoux had been a prisoner of war and died in May 1951 at Prisoner of War Camp #5.
In the late summer and fall of 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea returned remains reportedly recovered from Pyoktong, also known as Prisoner of War Camp #5, to the United Nations Command. However, the Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, did not associate any repatriated remains with Robidoux, he was determined non-recoverable in January 1956.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In December 2019, the DPAA disinterred Unknown X-14646, a set of remains returned during Operation Glory, as part of Phase Two 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 Robidoux’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Robidoux’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.
Robidoux 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 02:19:042025-04-04 02:19:06Sgt. Lawrence J. Robidoux
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Williams, M.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pvt. Myron E. Williams, 29, of Dixon, Illinois, killed during World War II, was accounted for July 13, 2022.
In November 1944, Williams was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th 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. 16. His body unable to be recovered, and the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a presumptive finding of death for Williams on Nov. 17, 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 recover or identify Williams’ remains. He was declared non-recoverable in December 1951.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains, designated X-5432 Neuville, recovered Germeter and Hürtgen possibly belonged to Williams. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, in 1949, were disinterred in April 2019 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification. While analyzing X-5432, DPAA scientists also examined X-5405 Neuville, which had been found only 20 yards from X-5432 in 1947, and discovered comingling between the two.
To identify Williams’ 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.
Williams’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, 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.
Williams will be buried in Killeen, Texas 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 02:18:312025-04-04 02:18:33Pvt. Myron E. Williams
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Knoll, G.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. Gregory V. Knoll 22, of Garden City, Kansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 3, 2023.
In November 1944, Knoll was assigned to Company M, 3rd Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. His battalion had been tasked with capturing the town of Schmidt, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest. A heavy German counterattack overran his unit and forces survivors to withdraw to Kommerscheidt where they fought against additional enemy attacks. He was reported killed in action on Nov. 7., while fighting enemy forces at Kommerscheidt. His remains could not be recovered after the attack.
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 recover or identify Knoll’s remains. He was declared non-recoverable in November 1951.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains, designated X-2519 Neuville, recovered at Kommerscheidt in April 1946, possibly belonged to Knoll. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, in 1949, were disinterred in July 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To identify Knoll’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.
Knoll’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Plombières, 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.
Knoll will be buried on July 7, 2023 in Garden City, Kansas.
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 02:18:022025-04-04 02:18:03Sgt. Gregory V. Knoll
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Reserve Chief Warrant Officer 3 Larry A. Zich, 24, of Sturgis, South Dakota, killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for Oct. 25, 2022.
In April 1972, Zich was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 37th Signal Battalion, 1st Signal Brigade. On April 3, a UH-1H Iroquois (tail number 68-16330, call sign “Cavalier 70”) with a crew of four, including Zich as the co-pilot. The crew departed from Marble Mountain, Da Nang, South Vietnam, on a combat support mission to Quang Tri City, South Vietnam. During the flight, the pilot told a Hue/Phu Bai Ground Control Approach (GCA) controller that he was lost, and believed they were near Quang Tri. Following the transmission, the GCA controller could not locate the helicopter on the radar, and reported the crew missing. When the helicopter failed to appear at any of the air bases in South Vietnam, an aerial search was initiated but found no sign of the missing aircraft or crew.
The Joint Casualty Resolution Center conducted a number of investigation and recovery efforts between 1993 and 2014; a total of twelve investigations were conducted into this loss with negative results. On April 11, 1988, the Defense Intelligence Agency received human remains from a Vietnamese refugee. Reportedly the remains belonged to nine different individuals who died in an aircraft crash and were buried in Quang Nam Province. Those remains were sent to Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii that same month.
To identify Zich’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Zich will be buried in Lincoln, Nebraska 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 02:17:342025-04-04 02:17:36Chief Warrant Officer 3 Larry A. Zich
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (McKeon, M.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Tech Sgt. Matthew L. McKeon, 25, of Euclid, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 12, 2023.
In November 1944, McKeon was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Hürtgen, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he was reported killed in action on Nov. 9. His remains could not be recovered during the battle.
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 McKeon’s remains. He was declared nonrecoverable on Dec. 15, 1950.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains, designated X-4458 Neuville, recovered near the town of Hürtgen in 1946 possibly belonged to a service member missing from combat in November 1944, such as McKeon. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery in 1950, were disinterred in June 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To identify McKeon’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
McKeon’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, 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.
McKeon will be buried in San Diego, California on 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 02:17:022025-04-04 02:17:03Tech Sgt. Matthew L. McKeon
Pvt. John W. Ropp
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 27, 2023
Airman Accounted For From WWII (Ropp, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. John W. Ropp, 31, of Sierra Madre, California who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Oct. 25, 2022.
In late 1941, Ropp was a member of the 2nd Observation Squadron in the Philippines, 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. Ropp 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, Ropp died July 28, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 215.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Five of the sets of remains from Common Grave 215 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 215 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Ropp’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.
Ropp’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) site, along with others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Ropp will be buried in Camarillo, California on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Staff Sgt. Edgar L. Mills
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 27, 2023
Airman Accounted For From World War II (Mills, E.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Edgar L. Mills, 25, of Tampa, Florida, killed during World War II, was accounted for Feb. 13, 2023.
In the summer of 1944, Mills was assigned to the 816th Bomber Squadron (Heavy), 483rd Bomber Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force. On July 18, Mills an armorer gunner, onboard a B-17G was killed in action when the bomber was shot down during a bombing raid on enemy aircraft and air defense installations around Memmingen, Germany. His body was not recovered, and the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a finding of death on July 26, 1951.
Due to the damage to the B-17G the pilot ordered the crew to bail out. Six of the airmen parachuted successfully while the other five crew members including Mills were believed to still be on board. The surviving crew witnessed the aircraft explode in an area south of Memmingen, Germany.
Beginning in 1946, 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 searched the area of the crash site, they discovered two sets of remains however none were associated with Mills. He was declared non-recoverable July 26, 1951.
In 2012 three German witnesses led what is now known as DPAA to an aircraft crash site near Kimratshofen, Germany. Which resulted in subsequent investigation and recovery efforts in 2013, with a 2018 recovery mission finding possible human remains and material evidence.
In 2019, a DPAA partner team from the University of New Orleans continued work at the Kimratshofen site, recovering additional material, which was also transferred to the DPAA laboratory in Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
To identify Mills’ remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), analysis.
Mills’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Epinal American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Dinoze, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Mills’ will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on May 4, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Tech. Sgt. John Holoka Jr.
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 22, 2023
Airman Accounted For From World War II (Holoka, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. John Holoka Jr., 25, of Cresson, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 24, 2023.
In the summer of 1944, Holoka was assigned to the 844th Bombardment Squadron, 489th Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force. On June 22, Holoka was an engineer on a B-24H Liberator that was struck by anti-aircraft after a bombing raid on a German airfield in Saint-Cyr-l’École, near Versailles, France.
Despite the damage to the B-24 Liberator, the pilot was able to nurse the aircraft until it was over the English coast, whereupon he ordered his crew to bail out. Seven of the airmen parachuted successfully while the other three crew members, including Holoka, were still on board. Two of the crew witnessed the aircraft crash into a farm in West Sussex, England.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the European Theater. In November 1947, AGRC investigators searched the area of the crash site, but they did not discover the remains of any other crewmembers. Holoka was declared non-recoverable May 10, 1950.
A local aviation archaeology group attempted to excavate the crash site in 1974, to search for aircraft parts. A number of U.S. Department of Defense investigation and recovery efforts took place in 2017 and 2019, with a June 2021 recovery mission finding possible human remains and material evidence.
To identify Holoka’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis as well as material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used dental, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (Y-STR) analysis.
Holoka’s name is recorded on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Cambridge, United Kingdom, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Holoka will be buried in Portage, Pennsylvania on May 1, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
2nd Lt. Francis V. Montemurro
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 22, 2023
Airman Accounted For From World War II (Montemurro, F.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Francis V. Montemurro, 25, of New York City, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 26, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Montemurro was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator bomber on which Montemurro was serving as the navigator 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 Montemurro’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Montemurro’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the North Africa American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Tunis, Tunisia, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Montemurro will be buried in San Diego, California on June 2, 2023.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Cpl. Delbert L. White
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 22, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (White, D.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Delbert L. White, 20, of Ottumwa, Iowa, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2022.
In late 1950, White was a member of D Company, 2nd Engineer (Combat) Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On Dec. 1, White and many other 2nd ID Soldiers were captured by the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces as they attempted to block the CPVF and allow the rest of 2nd ID to escape south. In August 1953, the CPVF sent a list to United Nations Command stating White died in March 1951 as a prisoner of war at POW Camp #1. However, in September 1953, two returning American POWs said he died in February 1951 at POW Camp #5. Despite conflicting reports, the Army determined March 18, 1951 was the latest White could have been alive and declared that his date of death.
During Operation GLORY in the fall of 1954, 550 sets of remains from reported to be from Prisoner of War Camp #5 were returned to United Nations Command. White was among the 38 who could not be identified. Those unidentified remains were buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu in 1956.
In October 2019, during Phase 2 of DPAA’s Korean War Disinterment Project, X-14794 Operation GLORY was disinterred from the Punchbowl as part of the planned exhumation of Operation GLORY burials originating from Camp #5, and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify White’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph comparison and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
White’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.
White will be buried in Ottumwa, Iowa on date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Sgt. Lawrence J. Robidoux
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 21, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Robidoux, L.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. Lawrence J. Robidoux 22, of Cumberland, Rhode Island, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for Jan. 24, 2023.
In late 1950, Robidoux was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 27, 1950, after his unit’s withdrawal from Ipsok in North Korea. In 1953, several POWs returned during Operation Big Switch reported Robidoux had been a prisoner of war and died in May 1951 at Prisoner of War Camp #5.
In the late summer and fall of 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea returned remains reportedly recovered from Pyoktong, also known as Prisoner of War Camp #5, to the United Nations Command. However, the Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, did not associate any repatriated remains with Robidoux, he was determined non-recoverable in January 1956.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In December 2019, the DPAA disinterred Unknown X-14646, a set of remains returned during Operation Glory, as part of Phase Two 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 Robidoux’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Robidoux’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.
Robidoux 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.
Pvt. Myron E. Williams
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 20, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Williams, M.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pvt. Myron E. Williams, 29, of Dixon, Illinois, killed during World War II, was accounted for July 13, 2022.
In November 1944, Williams was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th 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. 16. His body unable to be recovered, and the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a presumptive finding of death for Williams on Nov. 17, 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 recover or identify Williams’ remains. He was declared non-recoverable in December 1951.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains, designated X-5432 Neuville, recovered Germeter and Hürtgen possibly belonged to Williams. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, in 1949, were disinterred in April 2019 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification. While analyzing X-5432, DPAA scientists also examined X-5405 Neuville, which had been found only 20 yards from X-5432 in 1947, and discovered comingling between the two.
To identify Williams’ 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.
Williams’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, 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.
Williams will be buried in Killeen, Texas on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Sgt. Gregory V. Knoll
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 17, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Knoll, G.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. Gregory V. Knoll 22, of Garden City, Kansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 3, 2023.
In November 1944, Knoll was assigned to Company M, 3rd Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. His battalion had been tasked with capturing the town of Schmidt, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest. A heavy German counterattack overran his unit and forces survivors to withdraw to Kommerscheidt where they fought against additional enemy attacks. He was reported killed in action on Nov. 7., while fighting enemy forces at Kommerscheidt. His remains could not be recovered after the attack.
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 recover or identify Knoll’s remains. He was declared non-recoverable in November 1951.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains, designated X-2519 Neuville, recovered at Kommerscheidt in April 1946, possibly belonged to Knoll. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, in 1949, were disinterred in July 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To identify Knoll’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.
Knoll’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Plombières, 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.
Knoll will be buried on July 7, 2023 in Garden City, Kansas.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Larry A. Zich
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 17, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From Vietnam War (Zich, L.)
WASHINTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Reserve Chief Warrant Officer 3 Larry A. Zich, 24, of Sturgis, South Dakota, killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for Oct. 25, 2022.
In April 1972, Zich was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 37th Signal Battalion, 1st Signal Brigade. On April 3, a UH-1H Iroquois (tail number 68-16330, call sign “Cavalier 70”) with a crew of four, including Zich as the co-pilot. The crew departed from Marble Mountain, Da Nang, South Vietnam, on a combat support mission to Quang Tri City, South Vietnam. During the flight, the pilot told a Hue/Phu Bai Ground Control Approach (GCA) controller that he was lost, and believed they were near Quang Tri. Following the transmission, the GCA controller could not locate the helicopter on the radar, and reported the crew missing. When the helicopter failed to appear at any of the air bases in South Vietnam, an aerial search was initiated but found no sign of the missing aircraft or crew.
The Joint Casualty Resolution Center conducted a number of investigation and recovery efforts between 1993 and 2014; a total of twelve investigations were conducted into this loss with negative results. On April 11, 1988, the Defense Intelligence Agency received human remains from a Vietnamese refugee. Reportedly the remains belonged to nine different individuals who died in an aircraft crash and were buried in Quang Nam Province. Those remains were sent to Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii that same month.
To identify Zich’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Zich will be buried in Lincoln, Nebraska on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Tech Sgt. Matthew L. McKeon
Recently IdentifiedPress Release | March 16, 2023
Soldier Accounted For From World War II (McKeon, M.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Tech Sgt. Matthew L. McKeon, 25, of Euclid, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 12, 2023.
In November 1944, McKeon was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Hürtgen, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he was reported killed in action on Nov. 9. His remains could not be recovered during the battle.
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 McKeon’s remains. He was declared nonrecoverable on Dec. 15, 1950.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains, designated X-4458 Neuville, recovered near the town of Hürtgen in 1946 possibly belonged to a service member missing from combat in November 1944, such as McKeon. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery in 1950, were disinterred in June 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification.
To identify McKeon’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
McKeon’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, 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.
McKeon will be buried in San Diego, California on date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.