Press Release | Jan. 14, 2025

Airman Accounted For From World War II (Bays, D.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. Donald E. Bays, 21, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Dec. 20, 2024.

During World War II, Bays was assigned to the Tow Target Detachment at Hickam Airfield on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. On. Dec. 7th, 1944, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese aircraft expanded to Hickam Field, targeting U.S. aircrafts and ships, barracks, supply buildings, and the base chapel. The attack lasted four hours. Bays was reportedly killed during this time.

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