This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Hondo

  • Another Thirteen Return

    DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel.

    From World War II

    • ENS William M. Thompson, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 6 April 2017.

    • MM1 Fred M. Jones, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 6 April 2017.

    • EM3 Don O. Neher, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 6 April 2017.

    • S1c George A. Coke, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 6 April 2017.

    • T/4 John Kovach, Jr., Company C, 192nd Tank Battalion, US Army, was lost in the Philippines on 19 November 1942. He was accounted for on 7 April 2017.

    • Pvt Harold S. Hirschi, Headquarters Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in the Philippines on 19 November 1942. He was accounted for on 13 April 2017.

    • 1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, 414th Bombardment Squadron, 97th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Poland on 24 January 1944. He was accounted for on 5 April 2017.

    From Korea

    • CPL Leslie R. Sutton, B Battery, 99th Field Artillery Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 2 November 1950. He was accounted for on 13 April 2017.

    • CPL Daniel F. Kelly, C Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 26 November 1950. He was accounted for on 22 March 2017.

    • PFC Richard A. Lucas, C Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 26 November 1950. He was accounted for on 13 April 2017.

    From Southeast Asia

    • Cpt. John A. House, II, HHM-265, Marine Aircraft Group 16, USMC, was lost in Vietnam on 30 June 1967. He was accounted for on 9 April 2017.

    • Cpl Glyn. L, Runnels, Jr., Company A, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, USMC, was lost in Vietnam on 30 June 1967. He was accounted for on 9 April 2017.

    • John D. Killen, III, Company A, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, USMC, was lost in Vietnam on 30 June 1967. He was accounted for on 9 April 2017.

    Welcome back, elder brother-in-arms. Our apologies that your return took so long.

    Rest in peace. You’re home now.

    Happy Easter.

    . . .

    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.

  • Eight More Return

    DPAA has apparently “slipstreamed” a few additional accountings onto their list I didn’t catch until now; some of these are therefore a bit tardy. Oh well.

    DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel. 

    From World War II

    • Pvt. William D. Gruber, 93rd Bomber Squadron, 19th Bomber Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in the Philippines on 27 September 1942.  He was accounted for on 22 February 2017.

    • Pfc Jack J. Fox, USMC Reserve, assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, USMC, was lost on Tarawa on 14 February 1944November 1943. He was accounted for on 21 March 2017.

    • 1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, 414th Bombardment Squadron, 97th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Germany on 24 January 1944.  He was accounted for on 5 April 2017.

    • Capt James W. Boyden, USMC Reserve, assigned to Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 233, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force, USMC, was lost in Papua New Guinea on 14 February 1944. He was accounted for on 3 March 2017.

    • PFC Reece Gass, E Company, 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, US Army, was lost in Belgium on 14 January 1945. He was accounted for on 30 March 2017.

    From Korea

    • CPL Billie J. Jimerson, C Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 28 November 1950. He was accounted for on 15 February 2017.

    • CPL Freddie L. Henson, A Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 6 December 1950. He was accounted for on 3 April 2017.

    From Southeast Asia

    • Capt. Freddie L. Henson, 8th Bomb Squadron, USAF, was lost in Laos on 4 July 1966. He was accounted for on 13 January 2017.

    Welcome back, elder brother-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.

     

  • One Hundred Years Ago Today . . .

    . . . Congress declared war on Germany, resulting in US entering World War I.

    4.7+ million US personnel served during World War I; 53,402 died during combat.

    The last US veteran of that war, Frank Buckles, died in 2011 – at age 110.

    Fox has a short article today on the anniversary; it’s worth a read.  The article also contains a link to livestream of a service to be held at 1100 EDT today commemorating the anniversary at the National World War I Museum and Memorial.

    Rest in peace, elder brothers-in-arms.

  • Navy Instructor Pilots “On Strike”?

    Well, that’s the way one media firm (Fox News) phrased it in the intro to an online video  – IMO somewhat misleadingly.  But while “on strike” may overstate the issue, it does roughly describe what’s going on.  Sort of.

    What is going on is that apparently approximately 100 Navy Instructor Pilots in their flight training program have refused to fly training missions recently.  Their justification for doing so is ongoing – and apparently worsening – problems with the T-45 Goshawk trainer aircraft’s oxygen system.

    The problems cause incidents of hypoxia during flight without warning.  The issue has caused the loss of at least one aircraft recently – last August, near NAS Kingsville in Texas – and has also caused multiple other recent incidents.  Two flight instructors characterized the frequency of such incidents as happening approximately 3 times weekly.

    This Fox article has more details.  IMO it’s worth a read.

  • Another Two Return

    DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel.

    From World War II

    • S1c Monroe Temple, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 22 March 2017.

    From Korea

    • CPL William R. Sadewasser, Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 28 November 1950. He was accounted for on 23 March 2017.

    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 Note: Per DPAA, S1c Temple was accounted for on 22 March 2017; CPL Sadewasser was accounted for on 23 March 2017. However, their accounting was not announced on DPAA’s web site until this week.

  • 82nd Troops to Deploy to Middle East

    Two companies from the 82nd Airborne Division will deploy to the Middle East soon.

    The two units will be sent to locations in either Iraq or Syria. The decision on their exact locations while deployed has not yet been made. However, at least some of the 82nd’s troops apparently will deploy to Qayyarah Airfield West, AKA “Q-West”.

    I hope I’m wrong. But I can’t help but reflect on events of 55 years or so ago – and feel that maybe I’ve “seen this movie before”.

    Hopefully we’ve learned a bit since then.

  • Good Riddance

    Another Al Qaeda leader has begun the eternal dirtnap.

    DoD has confirmed that Qari Yasin, a senior Al Qaeda leader and terrorist bastard, was killed in a US airstrike in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on 19 March. Yasin is believed to have organized numerous terrorist attacks which claimed dozens of lives.

    Among Yasin’s confirmed victims were two US military personnel – Maj. Rodolfo I. Rodriguez, USAF, and CT3 Matthew J. O’Bryant, USN. They were among those killed in the 20 September 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad which Yasin organized.

    Burn in hell, Yasin. May Iblis give you his “personal attention” for all eternity.

  • A Different Kind of “Feel Good Story”

    A former* US Marine has been appointed as a NYC New York policeman.

    No big deal, you say?  Well, maybe.   But the case of  Matias Ferreira is somewhat unusual.

    Ferreira lost both legs below the knee due to injuries received from an IED in Afghanistan.

    Ferreira’s not being hired for a “desk only” job, either.  He completed the Suffolk County Police Academy and was hired as a full-duty cop.  His first assignment is as a precinct patrol officer.

    Fox News has more on this story.  Their article is worth a read.

    Well done, Marine.  Damn well done.

     

    *Author’s Note:  yes, I know – Marines feel someone is never “former Marine” unless they’ve dishonored their USMC service in some way.  Sorry, but I refuse to write “a Marine no longer serving on active duty” (or some similar clunky and awkward phrase) to describe someone who’s separated or retired from the USMC.