I ended up with a bit of extra time while traveling, so I decided to “bite the bullet” and do a reconciliation between personnel announced by DPAA on their web site as having been accounted for during 2017 and what I’ve previously noted here at TAH.
It appears as if DPAA has indeed resumed “slipstreaming” delayed public announcements into their online listings. When they do this, the name is simply placed in the list – and the default order is those most recently accounted for are listed first. It’s thus damned difficult to catch slipstreamed entries.
I’d hoped DPAA had ceased doing this, as it rather complicates the task of publicizing those recently accounted for by DPAA on this site. Oh well; as the song goes, “You can’t always get what you want.”
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Without further ado: DPAA has previously this year identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel. These individuals have not been listed in a prior “No Longer Missing” article this year.
From World War II
• 2nd Lt Harry H. Gaver, Jr., USMC, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 1 March 2017.
• Cpl Raymond A. Barker, Company C, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 10 October 2017.
• Pfc Francis E. Drake, Jr., Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Mainres, 1st Marine Division, USMC, was lost in the Solomon Islands on 9 September 1942. He was accounted for on 6 April 2017.
• Pfc Ray James, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 13 June 2017.
• Pfc Manuel Menendez, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Division (see note), USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 30 August 2017.
• Pfc Harold V. Thomas, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 31 August 2017.
• Pvt Archie Newell, Company C, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 12 June 2017.
• Assistant Cook Frank L. Masoni, Headquarters Company, 2nd (see note), USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 21 November 1943. He was accounted for on 29 August 2017.
• TSgt. John S. Bailey, 38th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 30th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 21 January 1944. He was accounted for on 22 September 2017.
• 1st Lt. John H. Liekhus, 323rd Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Germany on 2 November 1944. He was accounted for on 7 August 2017.
• TSgt. John F. Brady, 323rd Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Germany on 2 November 1944. He was accounted for on 31 August 2017.
• TSgt. Allen A. Chandler, Jr., 323rd Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Germany on 2 November 1944. He was accounted for on 25 August 2017.
• SSgt. Robert O. Shoemaker, 323rd Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Germany on 2 November 1944. He was accounted for on 24 August 2017.
• SSgt. Bobby J. Younger, 323rd Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Germany on 2 November 1944. He was accounted for on 17 August 2017.
• SSgt. Thomas M. McGraw, 716th Bomber Squadron, 449th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Italy on 28 February 1945. He was accounted for on 18 August 2017.
From Korea
• PFC James J. Leonard, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, US Army, was lost in South Korea on 25 July 1950. He was accounted for on 18 August 2017.
• SFC Lester R. Walker, Battery B, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in South Korea on 3 September 1950. He was accounted for on 29 September 2017.
• SFC Elmore B. Goodwin, Company G, 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 27 November 1950. He was accounted for on 29 August 2017.
• SFC Alfred G. Bensinger, Jr., Company D, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 1 December 1950. He was accounted for on 25 July 2017.
• SSG Gerald J. Mueller, Battery D, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Automatic Weapons,) 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in South Korea on 13 February 1951. He was accounted for on 4 August 2017.
From Southeast Asia
• None
Welcome back, elder brothers-in-arms. Our apologies that your return took so long.
Rest in peace. You’re home now.
. . .
Over 73,000 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,800 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; and over 1,600 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia (SEA). Comparison of DNA from recovered remains against DNA from some (but not all) blood relatives can assist in making a positive ID for unidentified remains that have already been recovered, or which may be recovered in the future.
On their web site’s “Contact Us” page, DPAA now has FAQs. The answer to one of those FAQs describes who can and cannot submit DNA samples useful in identifying recovered remains. The chart giving the answer can be viewed here. The text associated with the chart is short and can be viewed in DPAA’s FAQs.
If your family lost someone in one of these conflicts and you qualify to submit a DNA sample, please arrange to submit one. By doing that you just might help identify the remains of a US service member who’s been repatriated but not yet been identified – as well as a relative of yours, however distant. Or you may help to identify remains to be recovered in the future.
Everybody deserves a proper burial. That’s especially true for those who gave their all while serving this nation.
Author’s Notes:
1. Two of the unit designations above appear incomplete, and are so identified. These suspect unit designations are those that were published by DPAA.
2. While Jonn published an article announcing the recovery of SSG William Turner’s remains some time ago, as of 23 October 2017 DPAA has yet to formally announce his accounting.
