Press Release | Sept. 19, 2019

Pilot Accounted For From World War II (Mattes, H.)

WASHINGTON  –   The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today Army 1st Lt. Herschel H. Mattes, 22, of Pittsburgh, was accounted for July 29, 2019.

(This identification was initially published July 31, 2019.)

In early 1944, Mattes was a pilot, assigned to the 525th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 86th Fighter-Bomber Group. On March 6, 1944, while on an armed reconnaissance mission, his A-36A, Apache aircraft crashed approximately 2.5 miles from Lake Bracciano, Italy. Prior to the crash, his aircraft was struck by small arms or machine gun fire. His remains could not be recovered immediately following the crash.

In 1947, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) recovered remains from a grave found on the grounds of an estate about 2.5 miles from Lake Bracciano. The remains, designated X-977 Nettuno, could not be identified and were interred at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.

Based upon the original recovery location of X-977, a DPAA historian determined that there was a likely association between the remains and Mattes. On Aug. 4, 2015, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission disinterred X-977 and accessioned the remains to the DPAA laboratory for identification.

To identify Mattes’ remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.

DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and to the U.S. Army Regional Mortuary- Europe/Africa for their partnership in this mission. DPAA is also appreciative for the assistance of Dr. Vincenzo Lucherini, an independent researcher, and Princess Camilla Borghese Khevenhüller, the owner of the villa where X-977 was originally found.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,661 service members still unaccounted for from World War II, of which approximately 30,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable. Mattes’ 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 the others missing from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown, Mattes’ grave was meticulously cared for by ABMC for 70 years. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army Service Casualty office at (800) 892-2490.

Mattes will be buried Sept. 23, 2019, in Avon, Connecticut.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Press Release | Sept. 9, 2019

Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Givens, J.)

WASHINGTON  –   The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today Army Pfc. Jacob W. Givens, 30, of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, was accounted for on June 17, 2019.

(This identification was initially published June 20, 2019.)

In October 1944, Givens was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division which was engaged against enemy forces in the Raffelsbrand sector of the Hürtgen Forest, near Germeter, Germany. He was reported missing in action as of Oct. 20, 1944, when his company reorganized after a severe counterattack and he could not be accounted for.

After the war, the American Graves Registration Command extensively searched the Hürtgen Forest for him. No remains found in the area were identified as Givens, and the Army declared him non-recoverable.

While studying unresolved American losses in and unidentified remains recovered from the Hürtgen Forest, DPAA personnel analyzed historical documentation regarding X-5483 Neuville, a set of unidentified remains recovered on May 15, 1947 from District #20C of the Hürtgen Forest by the AGRC. The remains had originally been found by a German woodcutter who later led an AGRC team to the site. The AGRC team found the remains lying on the ground, surrounded by U.S. Army infantry equipment. The remains, designated X-5483, could not be identified, and were interred at the United States Military Cemetery Neuville (present day Ardennes American Cemetery).

Based upon the original recovery location of X-5483, a DPAA historian determined that there was a likely association between the remains and Givens. In June 2018, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission disinterred X-5483 and accessioned the remains to the DPAA laboratory for identification.

To identify Givens’ remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.

DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and to the U.S. Army Regional Mortuary- Europe/Africa for their partnership in this mission.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,669 service members still unaccounted for from World War II, of which approximately 30,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable. Givens’ name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the others missing from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown, Givens’ grave was meticulously cared for by ABMC for 70 years. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army Service Casualty office at (800) 892-2490.

Givens will be buried Nov. 9, 2019, in Prestonburg, Kentucky

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Press Release | Sept. 5, 2019

USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Laurie, J.)

WASHINGTON  –   The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Mess Attendant 1st Class Johnnie C. Laurie, 25, of Bessemer, Alabama, killed during World War II, was accounted for on July 2, 2019.

(This identification was initially published July 16, 2019.)

On Dec. 7, 1941, Laurie 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 Laurie.

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 Laurie.

Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.

To identify Laurie’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.

DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of the Navy for their partnership in this mission.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,671 still unaccounted for from World War II, of which approximately 30,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable. Laurie’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office at (800) 443-9298.

Laurie will be buried Oct. 19, 2019, in Montevallo, Alabama.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Press Release | Sept. 4, 2019

Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Judd, V.)

WASHINGTON  –   The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Sgt. Vernon R. Judd, 22, of Navarre, Ohio, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on June 24, 2019.

(This identification was initially published on June 27, 2019.)

In late 1950, Judd was a member of Company D, 89th Medium Tank Battalion, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 28, 1950, when he was captured by enemy forces in the vicinity of Ipsok, North Korea. A returned American POW reported that Judd died at Hofong Prisoner of War camp, also known as Pukchin-Tarigol, on Feb. 14, 1951. His remains were unable to be recovered.

On July 27, 2018, following the summit between President Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim in June 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Judd’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) and autosomal DNA (Y-STR) analysis.

Today, 7,628 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously returned by Korean officials, recovered from Korea by American recovery teams, or disinterred from unknown graves. Judd’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army Casualty office at (800) 892-2490.

Judd will be buried Sept. 24, 2019, in Seville, Ohio.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Press Release | Aug. 29, 2019

Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Trick, J.)

WASHINGTON  –   The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today Army Pvt. James I. Trick, 25, of Hughesville, Pennsylvania, was accounted for July 8, 2019.

(This identification was initially published July 11, 2019.)

In late 1944, Trick was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, which was engaged against enemy forces in the Hürtgen Forest, near Germeter, Germany. He reportedly killed by enemy shrapnel on Nov. 4, 1944, while bring supplies for his unit.

After the war, the American Graves Registration Command extensively searched the Hürtgen Forest for him. No remains found in the area were identified as Trick’s, and the Army declared him non-recoverable.

On July 22, 1947, a set of remains, designated X-6207 Neuville, was recovered from the Hürtgen Forest, where Trick’s company was engaged in battle. The remains were transferred to the Central Identification Point at Neuville, Belgium. Despite exhaustive efforts, the remains could not be identified and were subsequently interred at the United States Military Cemetery Neuville-en-Condroz (present-day Ardennes American Cemetery) in September 1949.

Based upon the original recovery location of X-6207, a DPAA historian determined that there was a likely association between the remains and Trick. In June 2018, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission disinterred X-6207 and accessioned the remains to the DPAA laboratory for identification.

To identify Trick’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.

DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and to the U.S. Army Regional Mortuary- Europe/Africa for their partnership in this mission.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 72,674 service members still unaccounted for from World War II, of which approximately 30,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable. Trick’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the others missing from WWII. Although interred as an Unknown, Trick’s grave was meticulously cared for by ABMC for 70 years. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army Service Casualty office at (800) 892-2490.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.