Another Three Are Known

DPAA’s “Recently Accounted For” webpage announced recently that the following formerly-missing US personnel have been accounted for.

From World War II

FC2c Lawrence J. Overley, US Navy, assigned assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. His accounting was announced on 19 November 2021.

TSgt Ross H. Thompson, US Army, assigned to the Finance Department, U.S. Army Forces Far East, was lost at Cabanatuan, Philippines, on 10 December 1942. His accounting was announced on 18 November 2021.

1st Lt John J. Heffernan, Jr., US Army, assigned to 490th Bomb Squadron, 341st Bomb Group, 10th Air Force, US Army Air Forces, was lost in Burma on 22 February 1944. His accounting was announced on 15 November 2021.

From Korea

None

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 7,500 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; and over 1,500 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia (SEA). Additionally, 126 US personnel 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. The same is true for remains 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 is found in one of the FAQs.

If your family lost someone in one of these conflicts who has not yet been accounted for 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