Four More Accounted For
Airman Accounted For From World War II
U.S. Army Air Forces Technical Sgt. Lawrence E. Reitz
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Technical Sgt. Lawrence E. Reitz, 22, of Hoopeston, Illinois, killed during World War II, was accounted for May 5, 2023.
In the summer of 1943, Reitz was assigned to 343d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Reitz was serving as a radio operator crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. His remains were not identified following the war. The remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns from Bolovan Cemetery, and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.
In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted-for airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification.
To identify Reitz’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Reitz’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Reitz will be buried in Williamsport, Indiana, on a date to be determined.
USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II
Navy Seaman 1st Class Elmer P. Lawrence
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Seaman 1st Class Elmer P. Lawrence, 25, of Park City, Kentucky, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Feb. 1, 2021.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Lawrence was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Lawrence.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Lawrence.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Lawrence’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Lawrence’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Lawrence was buried on July 22, 2023, in Smiths Grove, Kentucky.
Soldier Accounted For From World War II
U.S. Army Pvt. David S. Whipple
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. David S. Whipple, 23, of Plymouth, Indiana, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 15, 2022.
In late 1941, Whipple was a member of the 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Whipple was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Whipple died July 26, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 225.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Three of the sets of remains from Common Grave 225 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In March 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 225 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Whipple’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Whipple’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Whipple will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date to be later determined.
Soldier Accounted For From World War II
U.S. Army Cpl. Leo J. Barlosky
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Leo J. Barlosky, 24, of Audenried, Pennsylvania, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2022.
In late 1941, Barlosky was a member of the 7th Chemical Company, Aviation, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Barlosky was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Barlosky died July 27, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 225.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Three sets of remains from Common Grave 225 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In early 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 225 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Barlosky’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Barlosky’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Barlosky will be buried in Arlington National Cemetary, on a date later to be determined.
Category: No Longer Missing
Welcome home.
Welcome home, rest well.
Sgt. Lawrence Edward Reitz.
His Mom and Dad, Brother and Sister are mentioned here:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56366206/lawrence-edward-reitz
Rest In Peace, Warrior.
Salute.
Never Forget.
His Mother Did Not. Talk about a Mother’s Love.
In 1956, she still had hopes that he was still alive (see attached newsaper article).
Bring Them All Home.
Welcome Home, Warriors. A Salute to your Service and Honors paid for your Sacrifice. Every Fallen Service Member deserves, at the very least, a Marked Resting Place.
’til they’re all accounted for.
Thanks again, Dave.
Navy Seaman 1st Class Elmer Patterson Lawrence.
Site includes his family members. His Girlfriend, Marie Copas of Red Cross, Kentucky, never married.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20363150/elmer-patterson-lawrence
“Navy Seaman 1st Class Elmer Patterson Lawrence, age 25, of Red Cross, KY was born August 31, 1916, and sadly passed away on December 7, 1941, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.”
“Since his death, Elmer’s parents, Cornelius “Nealie” Lawrence and Minnie Cain; his sister, Gayneth “Peggy” Edwards; and his nephew, Stephen Lawrence Edwards have passed away. Also passing after Elmer was his girlfriend, Marie Copas of Red Cross, KY, who never married.”
“Survivors include two first cousins that knew Elmer, 93 year old Bernadene Johnson, Glasgow, KY, and 90 year old Ted McDuffee, Anderson, IN. Also surviving are Elmer’s niece, Jacqueline Bethel and her husband Charles, of Wooster, OH; his nephew, Michael Edwards and his wife Annette, of Brandenburg, KY; and several cousins, great nieces and nephews.”
“Finally home in Kentucky, funeral services for Elmer Lawrence will be held at 2:30 CDT on Saturday, July 22, 2023 at the Shiloh General Baptist Church, 12050 Old Bowling Green Road, Smiths Grove, KY 42171, with Brother David Stearns and Pastor Allen Johnson, officiating. (the church is actually located in Railton, KY). Burial, with full military honors, will follow in the Shiloh Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church from 1:00 PM CDT until the time of service on Saturday.”
Rest In Peace, Warrior.
Salute.
Never Forget.
Bring Them All Home.
PVT David Stuart Whipple.
His family is mentioned at this site.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56758351/david-stuart-whipple
“1920 United States Federal Census (17 January 1920): Plymouth (Ward 2), Center Township, Marshall County, Indiana (sheet 14B, family 397, 906 West Adams Street) – David Whipple (7m Indiana).”
“1930 United States Federal Census (02 April 1930): Plymouth (Ward 2), Center Township, Marshall County, Indiana (sheet 1A, family 6, W. Washington) – David Whipple (10 Indiana).”
“In 1931 the family moved to California.”
“David S Whipple (1919 Indiana), a resident of San Francisco, California, enlisted as a Private (S/N 19028335) in the U.S. Army Air Corps on 01 August 1941 at Camp Callan, California. His enlistment was for the Philippine Department. He was single, had completed 4 years of high school and had been working as “semiskilled mechanics and repairmen, motor vehicles.” He was described as 68 inches (5′ 6½”) in height and 140 lbs.”
“Private David S. Whipple was assigned to the 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, U.S. Army Air Corps and sent to the Philippine Islands. The 27th Materiel Squadron was in charge of supplies and aircraft at Nichols Field, located just south of Manila in Pasay and Parañaque.”
“Private David S. Whipple (S/N 19028335), age 23, died at 9:00 pm, 26 July 1942, of malaria, in Barracks #14, Hospital Area. His death was recorded on a condensed milk can label. He was one of 25 men to die that day, the 1206th prisoner to die in the camp since in opened in June.”
Rest In Peace, Soldier.
Salute.
Never Forget.
Bring Them All Home.
CPL Leo J. Barlosky.
His family can be found at this site.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56766663/leo-j-barlosky
“Leo served as a Corporal, 2nd Chemical Company, Aviation, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.”
“He resided in Carbon County, Pennsylvania prior to the war.”
“He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on March 2, 1940 prior to the war. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being Separated, with dependents.”
“He became a POW of the Japanese Army in the “Fall Of The Philippines” in May, 1942.”
“Leo “Died While A POW” of the Japanese Army at POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan 1-2-3, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121 during the war.”
“He was awarded the Prisoner Of War Medal and the Purple Heart.”
Rest In Peace, Soldier.
Salute.
Never Forget.
Bring Them All Home.
Welcome home Brothers. Rest in peace now.
Rest in Peace, Welcome Home.