Six More Missing are Accounted For

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

From World War II

• FM1c Samuel W. Crowder, 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 30 August 2017.

• FM1c Elmer D. Nail, 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 31 August 2017.

• Pvt. Vernon P. Keaton, US Marine Corps, assigned to the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 24 August 2017.

• PVT Raymond Sinowitz, 454th Ordnance Company, 27th Bombardment Group, Far East Air Force, US Army, was lost in the Philippines on 26 September 1942. He was accounted for on 24 August 2017.

From Korea

• HC1 William G. Payne, US Navy, assigned to the 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, USMC, was lost in North Korea on 1 December 1950. He was accounted for on 25 August 2017.

From Southeast Asia

• CMSgt Donald J. Hall, Detachment 5, 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, US Air Force, was lost in Vietnam on 6 February 1967. He was accounted for on 25 August 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: While Jonn published an article announcing the recovery of SSG William Turner’s remains some time ago, as of 6 September 2017 DPAA had yet to formally announce his accounting. The other individuals listed above were not announced by DPAA as having been accounted for until on or after 5 September 2017.)

Category: No Longer Missing