Eight More Return

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

From World War II

• SM3c Charles E. Nix, 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 17 October 2017.

• PFC Billy R. Ball, Headquarters Detachment, Philippines Department, US Army, was lost in the Philippines on 8 December 1941. He was accounted for on 31 August 2017.

• Pfc Arnold J. Harrison, Company B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 10 October 2017.

• Pfc Albert Strange, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 6 October 2017.

• Pfc Donald R. Tolson, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 27 September 2017.

• Pvt Edwin W. Jordan, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 6 October 2017.

• Cpl John V. McNichol, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 21 November 1943. He was accounted for on 10 October 2017.

• Sgt Elden W. Grimm, Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 25 November 1943. He was accounted for on 6 October 2017.

From Korea

• None

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. DPAA lists Sgt Elden W. Grimm as having been assigned to the “28th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division”. This is almost certainly not correct, as the 28th Marine Regiment was part of the 5th Marine Division and was not formed until February 1944. It is most likely that this is a typo and Sgt Elden W. Grimm was instead assigned to the 8th Marine Regiment – which indeed did fight at Tarawa.
2. While Jonn published an article announcing the recovery of SSG William Turner’s remains some time ago, as of 30 September 2017 DPAA has yet to formally announce his accounting.
3. It appears that DPAA is indeed “slipstreaming” delayed entries into its online list of personnel recently accounted for again. At some point in the future, I’ll do a full reconciliation for 2017 and list any previous omissions. Unfortunately, other commitments likely won’t allow me to do that for at least the next 2 weeks.

Category: No Longer Missing