1st Lt. Joe A. De Jarnette

Press Release | Jan. 31, 2025

Pilot Accounted For From World War II (De Jarnette, J.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. Joe A. De Jarnette, 24, of Fort Thomas, Kentucky, killed during World War II, was accounted for June 20, 2024.

De Jarnette’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.

In spring 1944, De Jarnette was assigned to the 732nd Bombardment Squadron, 453rd Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater. On April 8, De Jarnette, the pilot onboard a B-24H “Liberator,” Little Joe, was killed in action when his plane was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft fire while on a bombing mission to Brunswick, Germany. Airmen aboard other aircraft flying in formation with Little Joe did not report seeing any crewmembers exiting the aircraft before it crashed in the vicinity of Salzwedel. The crash site could not be located by Allied forces during the war, and the remains of all ten crewmembers, including De Jarnette, were unaccounted for following the war.

Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began investigating the numerous bomber losses in the Salzwedel and Wistedt areas of Germany. German forces had maintained accurate documentation (Kampfflugzeug Unterlagen, or KU) of American aircraft shoot-downs, with several reports indicating B-24s crashing in the area. However, AGRC was unable to associate any KU reports with Little Joe and investigators were unable to locate any crash or burial sites associated with the loss.

In 2015, an independent research group, Missing Allied Air Crew Research Team (MAACRT), contacted DPAA historians with new information related to a possible crash site near Wistedt, Germany. Interviews with elderly local residents indicated there were two crash sites, but only one was recovered by American forces following the war. Investigators located the second crash site and were able to recover various pieces of wreckage. Possible osseous remains were also located and transferred to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification. At the time, no matches could be made with any Unknowns and further investigations were scheduled.

Between 2021 and 2023, DPAA investigators returned to the crash site and continued investigation, and then excavations and recoveries. By the end of November 2023, all evidence, including possible osseous remains and possible life support equipment, had been recovered and returned to the DPAA laboratory.

To identify De Jarnette’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.

De Jarnette’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

De Jarnette will be buried in Erlanger, Kentucky, on a date to be determined.

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

2nd Lt. Gilbert A. Rauh

Press Release | Jan. 31, 2025

Pilot Accounted For From World War II (Rauh, G.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Gilbert A. Rauh, 28, of Thornwood, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for on August 23, 2024.

Rauh’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. 

In December 1943, Rauh was a member of the 436th Bombardment Squadron, 7th Bombardment Group during World War II. On Dec. 1, he was serving as the pilot of a B-24J “Liberator” bomber while on a bombing mission from Panagarh, India, to the Insein Railroad Yard north of Rangoon, Burma. After reaching the designated target, Rauh’s plane was reportedly hit by anti-aircraft fire, causing the left wing to burst into flames. Witnesses from another aircraft noted seeing Rauh’s aircraft enter a steep dive while disappearing below the clouds. It was noted that 3 enemy aircraft were also seen following the crippled plane into the clouds, and no further contact was made with the Liberator. The remains of the crew were not recovered or identified after the war, and they were all later declared Missing in Action.

In 1947, the American Grave Registration Service (AGRS) recovered the remains of what they believed to be eight individuals involved in a potential B-24 Liberator crash near Yodayadet, Burma. According to local witnesses, there were no survivors from this aviation loss and Japanese forces had instructed local villagers to bury the remains in two large graves. The AGRS designated the remains recovered from these graves as Unknowns X-505A, X-505B, X-505C, X-505D, X-505E, X-505F, X-505G, and X-505H Barrackpore (X-505A-H). The remains could not be scientifically identified at the time and were interred as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), Honolulu, Hawaii, also known as the Punchbowl.

In early 2019, DPAA received a family disinterment request for Unknown X-505A-H based on past attempts to associate the remains with other unresolved losses from southern Burma. DPAA historians reviewing the associated files believed a more likely association for the remains was possible in X-505A-H. The Department of Defense approved the disinterment request, and in October 2020, DPAA personnel exhumed the remains from NMCP where they were accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

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

Rauh’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in the Philippines, along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Rauh will be buried in Pleasantville, New York in May 2025.

For family and funeral information, call the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.

Cpl. Frederick Carrino

Press Release | Jan. 31, 2025

Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Carrino, F.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Frederick Carrino, 18, of Berkeley, Missouri, missing during the Korean War, was accounted for Oct. 10, 2024.

Carrino’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. 

In December 1950, Carrino was assigned to B Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, in the Korean theater. He was reported missing in action (MIA) after his unit was forced to retreat from Hagaru-ri, North Korea, after the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The U.S. Army could not establish that Carrino was ever held as a prisoner of war.

In the fall of 1953, during Operation Glory, North Korea returned remains reportedly recovered from Changsong, also known as Prisoner of War Camp #1, to the United Nations Command. However, Carrino’s name did not appear on any of the transfer rosters and the Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, did not associate him with any repatriated remains. A presumptive finding of death was issued on Dec. 31, 1953. In late 1956 all unidentified remains, including one designated X-15880, were buried as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Honolulu, Hawaii, known as the Punchbowl.

In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. In June 2020, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-15880 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

To identify Carrino’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 and mitochondrial genome sequence analysis.

Carrino’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.

Carrino will be buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, on a date yet to be determined.

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

Sgt. David Eugene Hardy

Press Release | Jan. 31, 2025

Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Hardy, D.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. David Eugene Hardy, 20, of Cascade, Virginia, who died while a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2024.

Hardy’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. 

In late 1950, Hardy was assigned to Headquarters Battery, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery – Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth U.S. Army. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after the 2nd Infantry Division’s withdrawal from Kunu-ri to Sunchon, North Korea, on Nov. 30, following the Battle of Ch’ongch’on. In 1953, a POW from Sgt. Hardy’s unit was returned during Operation Big Switch, and reported that Hardy died on Feb. 28, 1951, while a prisoner at POW Camp #5, Pyoktong, North Korea.

In the late summer and fall of 1954, during Operation Glory, Chinese Communist Forces returned remains reportedly recovered from Pyoktong to the United Nations Command. None were associated with Hardy.

One set of remains returned from Camp #5 during Operation Glory, which could not be identified, were designated Unknown X-14527 and buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. On Dec. 9, 2019, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-14527 as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

To identify Hardy’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA and mitochondrial genome sequencing analysis.

Hardy’s name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Hardy will be buried in Eden, North Carolina, in March 2025.

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

2nd Lt. Justice J. Buttala

Press Release | Jan. 28, 2025

Airman Accounted For From World War II (Buttala, J.)

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Justice J. Buttala, 24, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Jan. 14, 2025.

In the spring of 1945, Buttala served as an observer aboard a B-29 “Superfortress” bomber assigned to 28th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, 20th Air Force. On April 24, during a combat mission to Japan, the aircraft was shot down over Tachikawa, on the western outskirts of Tokyo. Buttala survived the crash but was held as a prisoner of war. He perished in the Tokyo Military Prison during a fire on May 26, 1945.

This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Buttala’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.

Pvt. Charles W. Smalley

Press Release | Jan. 28, 2025

Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Smalley, C.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Charles W. Smalley, 19, killed during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 14, 2025.

In the Summer of 1944, Smalley was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division in the European Theater. After the successful “D-Day” landings on the Normandy beaches, allied commanders implemented a plan for an invasion in southern France, code-named Operation DRAGOON. On August 25, Smalley’s unit’s objective was to repel German forces from a mountain between Marsanne and the village of La Coucourde. An eyewitness reported that Smalley was killed by machine gun fire during the first ten minutes of the attack. However, the War Department listed Smalley as missing in action as of Aug. 25, 1944.

This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Smalley’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.

Pfc. Robert L. Bryant

Press Release | Jan. 28, 2025

Soldier Accounted for from WWII (Bryant, R.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pfc. Robert L. Bryant, 23, of Bloomington, Illinois, missing in action during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 18, 2024.

Bryant’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. 

In September 1943, Bryant was assigned to Company B, 4th Ranger Battalion, “Darby’s Rangers,” in the Mediterranean Theater in World War II. He participated in Operation AVALANCHE, the amphibious invasion of Italy near Salerno, and engaged in fighting near the Chiunzi Pass on the Sorrento Peninsula. On September 23, Bryant was reported missing in action following a four-man patrol west of Pietre, Italy. His body was not recovered, and German forces never reported him a prisoner of war. The War Department declared him non-recoverable on July 19, 1949.

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the Mediterranean Theater. In 1947, AGRS investigators recovered remains from a cemetery in the village of San Nicola. These remains were designated as X-152 Naples (X-152). The AGRS were unable to associate X-152 with nearby casualties. The remains were interred at U.S. Military Cemetery Nettuno, which is now Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.

In 2019, while studying unresolved American losses in Operation AVALANCHE, a DPAA historian compiled unit records, company morning reports and grave registration records that indicated Bryant was likely lost in the vicinity of the X-152 recovery location. Members from the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) disinterred the remains in March 2022 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for identification.

To identify Bryant’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.

Bryant’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, an ABMC site in Nettuno, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Bryant will be buried in his hometown on April 12, 2025.

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

Staff Sgt. Eugene J. Darrigan

Press Release | Jan. 21, 2025

Airman Accounted For From World War II (Darrigan, E.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Eugene J. Darrigan, 26, of Wappinger’s Falls, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 20, 2024.

Darrigan’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared. 

In March 1944, Darrigan was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea. On the morning of March 11, Darrigan, the radio operator onboard a B-24D “Liberator” Heaven Can Wait departed Nadzab Strip #1, Papua New Guinea, as part of a bombing mission against enemy positions at Boram Airfield, and Awar Point, Hansa Bay, located along the northern coast of New Guinea. Observers from other aircraft in the formation reported seeing flames erupting from the bomb bay, spreading to the tail quickly. Heaven Can Wait was seen pitching up violently before banking left and crashing down into the water. It is believed anti-aircraft fire hit the plane, causing un-dropped ordnance to explode. Several aircraft circled the crash site in hopes of locating any possible survivors, but none could be seen.

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service, the military unit responsible for investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater, conducted exhaustive searches of battle areas and crash sites in New Guinea, concluding their search in late 1948. In March 1950, a board of AGRS officials concluded they were unable to locate any remains of Darrigan and the other Heaven Can Wait crew members. They were designated as non-recoverable.

Between 2013 and 2017, the family of 2nd Lt. Kelly, Heaven Can Wait bombardier, undertook a dedicated archival research effort to collect historical documents and eyewitness accounts of the loss of the Heaven Can Wait crew. The family worked with Dr. Scott Althaus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to complete this effort and provided this documentation. In October 2017, Project Recover, a DPAA partner organization, located the wreckage of a B-24 aircraft in Hansa Bay while making sonar scans as part of a unilateral remote sensing survey effort. In 2019, a DPAA underwater investigation team conducted several surveys of the wreckage, performing visual inspections and clearing the site of any unexploded ordnance.

From March 9 through April 13, 2023, an underwater recovery team excavated the crash site, where they recovered possible osseous materials and various material evidence, to include life support equipment and identification tags. The recovered evidence was sent to the DPAA Laboratory for review and analysis.

To identify Darrigan’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA,Y-chromosome DNA, and autosomal DNA analysis.

Darrigan’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Darrigan will be buried in Calverton, New York on a date yet to be determined.

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

Capt. Arthur M. Lingo

Press Release | Jan. 21, 2025

Soldier Accounted For From World War II (Lingo, A.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Capt. Arthur M. Lingo, 24, killed during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 10, 2025.

In late 1944, Lingo was assigned to 362nd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group, 66th Fighter Wing, 8th Fighter Command. During a bomber escort mission to Sorau, Germany, the P-51 Mustang fighter he piloted was shot down by enemy aircraft and crashed near Miesterhorst, Germany. Lingo was reported missing in action on April 11, 1944, and his remains were not identified after the war. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death for Lingo for Oct. 18, 1945.

This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Lingo’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.

Sgt. DeLoren D. Dage

Press Release | Jan. 21, 2025

Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Dage, D.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. DeLoren D. Dage, 23, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Jan. 15, 2025.

In the winter of 1950, Dage was a member of Able Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. Between November 27 and December 1, his company engaged with the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army on the Eastern side of the Chosen Reservoir in North Korea, sustaining heavy casualties, including Dage. He was declared missing in action on Dec. 2, 1951.

This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Dage’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.