DPAA has apparently been quite busy the past 2 weeks while I was “out of pocket”.
DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel.
From World War II
• FC2 Donald R. McCloud, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost on 7 December 1941 at Pearl Harbor. He was accounted for on 16 December 2016.
• RM3 Howard W. Bean, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost on 7 December 1941 at Pearl Harbor. He was accounted for on 16 December 2016.
• EM3 Cecil E. Barncord, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost on 7 December 1941 at Pearl Harbor. He was accounted for on 16 December 2016.
• FM3 Kenneth L. Holm, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost on 7 December 1941 at Pearl Harbor. He was accounted for on 14 December 2016.
• YN3 Edmund T. Ryan, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost on 7 December 1941 at Pearl Harbor. He was accounted for on 14 December 2016.
• SN1 Camillus M. O’Grady, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost on 7 December 1941 at Pearl Harbor. He was accounted for on 16 December 2016.
• SN1 Harold R. Roesch, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost on 7 December 1941 at Pearl Harbor. He was accounted for on 14 December 2016.
• SN2 Floyd F. Clifford, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost on 7 December 1941 at Pearl Harbor. He was accounted for on 14 December 2016.
• 1stLt Francis J. Pitonyak, 8th Fighter Squadron, 36th Fighter Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost on 28 October 1943 in Papua. He was accounted for on 20 December 2016.
• SSgt Byron H. Nelson, 721st Bomb Squadron, 450th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost on 25 April 1944 in Italy. He was accounted for on 12 December 2016.
• Capt Albert L. Schlegel, 335th Fighter Squadron, 84th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost on 28 August 1944 1950 in France. He was accounted for on 9 December 2016.
From Korea
• CPL Luis P. Torres, C Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 1 September 1950 in South Korea. He was accounted for on 15 December 2016.
• CPL Gerald I. Shepler, K Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment, US Army, was lost on 29 November 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for on 9 December 2016.
• PFC Thomas C. Stagg, K Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment, US Army, was lost on 29 November 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for on 15 December 2016.
• SGT Homer R. Abney, A Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 1 December 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for on 9 December 2016.
• CPL James T. Mainhart, I Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 30 November 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for on 12 December 2016.
• CPL Edward Pool, 31st Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 30 November 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for on 9 December 2016.
• PFC Charles C. Follese, K Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment, US Army, was lost on 30 November 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for on 17 December 2016.
• CPL Jules Hauterman, Medical Platoon, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 2 December 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for on 14 December 2016.
• SGT Thomas E. Zimmer, A Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 6 December 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for on 18 December 2016.
• CPL Joseph N. Pelletier, Headquarters Battery, 15th FIeld Artilery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 13 December 1950 in South Korea (see note). He was accounted for on 21 December 2016.
• CPL George A. Perreault, Headquarters Battery, 15th FIeld Artilery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 13 December 1950 in South Korea. He was accounted for on 13 December 2016.
Welcome back, elder brothers-in-arms. Our apologies that your returns took so long.
You’re home now. Rest in peace.
. . .
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: the location of loss for CPL Joseph N. Pelletier on DPAA’s website appears to be incorrect. The engagement in which he and CPL George A. Perreault were lost appears to have occurred in South Korea vice North Korea. The city of Wonju – cited by DPAA in the announcement of CPL Pelletier’s accounting as the town towards which US forces withdrew – is in South Korea. Wonju is also a substantial distance (approx 100km) from the Korean MDL and DMZ.