Another Eight Are Accounted For

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

From World War II

SM3c William J. Shanahan, 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 5 June 2019.

S1c Ralph H. Keil, 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 May 2019.

PFC Hulett A. Thompson, US Army, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), was lost in Burma on 30 June 1944. He was accounted for on 31 May 2019.

GM2c Harold L. Dick, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Colorado, was lost in the Tinian Islands on 24 July 1944. He was accounted for on 31 May 2019.

TSgt. Charles G. Ruble, US Army, assigned to 99th Troop Carrier Squadron, 441st Troup Carrier Group, US Army Air Forces, was lost in The Netherlands on 17 September 1944. He was accounted for on 3 June 2019.

From Korea

PVT Edward M. Morrison, US Army, assigned to 1st Platoon, B Company, 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, was lost in South Korea on 6 July 1950. He was accounted for on 3 June 2019.

CPL William S. Smith, US Army, assigned to E Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, was lost in South Korea on 1 September 1950. He was accounted for on 5 June 2019.

MSG James G. Cates, US Army, assigned to I Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, was lost in North Korea on 3 December 1950. He was accounted for on 3 June 2019.

From Southeast Asia

None

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

Rest easy. You’re home now.

. . .

Over 72,000 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,600 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; over 1,500 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia (SEA); 126 remain unaccounted for from the Cold War; 5 remain unaccounted for from the Gulf Wars; and 1 individual remains unaccounted for from Operation Eldorado Canyon. 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. 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 is found in one of the 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.

Category: No Longer Missing