Four More Accounted For
Defense MIA/POW Accounting Agency
Soldier Accounted For From World War II
U.S. Army Pvt. J.C. Brooks
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. J.C. Brooks, 19, of Rockfield, Kentucky, who was killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 27, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Brooks was a member of Company I, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. His unit was part of Operation HUSKY, the Allied effort from July 10 to Aug. 17 to capture Sicily from Benito Mussolini’s fascist Italian regime. Brooks was killed during the Battle of Troina on Aug. 1 while leading an advance against German forces as first scout. He was unable to be recovered because of the fighting.
The American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) was charged with recovering the remains of fallen service members in the European Theater following the war. Though they searched the area near Troina, they were unable to find remains that could be identified as Brooks. He was declared non-recoverable on April 9, 1947.
In 2016, DPAA historians began to investigate U.S. losses from the 1943 invasion of Sicily. During this research, one Unknown, X-22227 Monte Soprano, was a candidate to match Brooks. After extensive research and record comparison by DPAA historians and analysts, X-22227 was disinterred in June 2019 and sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for analysis.
To identify Brooks’ 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.
Brooks’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Nettuno, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Brooks will be buried September 24, 2023, in Cecilia, Kentucky.
Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Army Pfc. George B. Thomas
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pfc. George B. Thomas, 31, of East Providence, Rhode Island, killed during World War II, was accounted for March 20, 2023.
In November 1944, Thomas was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division. His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Hürtgen, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he was reported missing in action on Nov. 24. His body was not recovered during the battle, and the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a finding of death on Nov. 25, 1945.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. They conducted several investigations in the Hürtgen area between 1946 and 1950 but were unable to identify Thomas’ remains. He was declared nonrecoverable on Feb. 21, 1951.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Hürtgen area, a DPAA historian determined that Thomas could be associated to one of two sets of unidentified comingled remains, designated X-7192 Neuville and X-7193 Neuville, which had been recovered together from a field south of Hürtgen in 1948. The remains, which had been buried in Ardennes American Cemetery in 1950, were disinterred in July 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for analysis and identification.
To identify Thomas’ 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) analysis.
Thomas’ name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium, along with the others still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Thomas was buried in Exeter, Rhode Island on July 10, 2023.
Pilot Accounted For From World War II
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Paul W. Schmidt
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Paul W. Schmidt, 20, of Rockville Center, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 28, 2022.
In March 1945, Schmidt was assigned to 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 8th Air Force. His squadron was engaged with attacking German lines of transportation along the Rhine River. On March 23, Schmidt was attacking an enemy train near Sendenhorst, Germany, in his F-6D, a reconnaissance version of the P-51 Mustang fighter. His wingman reported he last saw Schmidt attacking the train, but he was never seen or heard from again. Schmidt was declared missing in action, but the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. On March 24, 1946, with no evidence Schmidt survived the fighting, the War Department issued a presumptive finding of death.
In May 1945, an American graves registration team conducted an investigation in the Warendorf area and recovered a set of unidentified remains, later designated X-635 Margraten. There was insufficient evidence to make an identification.
While studying unresolved American losses in the Warendorf area in September 2016, DPAA historians determined X-635 Margraten could be associated with Schmidt. The remains, buried as an Unknown at the Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, were disinterred in June 2018 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Schmidt’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) analysis.
Schmidt’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in St. Avold, France, along with the others still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Schmidt will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on a date later to be determined.
Soldier Accounted For From World War II
Army Pfc. Arthur C. Barrett
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pfc. Arthur C. Barrett, 27, of Swanton, Vermont, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for July 20, 2022.
In late 1941, Barrett was a member of the 31st Infantry Regiment, 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. Barrett 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, Barrett died July 19, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 312.
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. Twelve of the sets of remains from Common Grave 312 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns.
In January 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 312 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
To identify Barrett’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) analysis.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Barrett’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Barrett will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on August 30, 2023.
Category: No Longer Missing
Welcome home Brothers. Sorry it took so long. May you rest in the arms of God.
Welcome Home, Warriors. We Salute your Service and Pay Honors to your Sacrifice. Every Fallen Service Member deserves, at the very least, a Marked Resting Place. Awaiting for our very own ninja to bring us the rest of the story.
Account for them all.
Thanks, Dave.
Welcome home, brothers. Finally. But what’s a few years to an eternal soldier? RIP
(slow salute….)
(damn! need to find a kleenex. dust & allergies)
Interesting. Always glad to see more identified. But recently it seems like a shift to the identification of on-hand, but unknown, remains. I wonder what portion of UNK remains this represents? That is, how many sets of remains are 1) on hand but unknown, 2) missing but recoverable, or 3) missing but unrecoverable (like on the sea floor).
Welcome home.
One can find information on PVT JC Brooks’s Family at this site:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56306906/j-c-brooks
PVT Brooks, born 5 December 1923, was stationed at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, (an Infantry Replacement Training Center) for 13 weeks before deploying overseas and serving with Company I, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division.
His Brother, Chester, was a PFC stationed at Fort Fisher, North Carolina when JC went missing. Chester retired as a Civil Service employee at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Interesting information about Fort Fisher during WWII:
https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/fort-fisher/history/wwii-fort-fisher
JC was still a teenager at the tender age of 19 when he went lost his life serving our Country. He was listed as being Missing In Action in September 1943.
He finally was accounted for on 27 September 2022 and will be buried on 24 September 2023 in Cecilia, Kentucky most likely at Elizabethtown Memorial Gardens which is located in Hardin County, Kentucky (down the road from Fort Knox, Kentucky) with his Parents, Artie and Ettie, his Brother, Chester and his Sister, Frances.
Rest In Peace, Soldier.
Salute.
Never Forget.
Bring Them All Home.
Thank you, ninja, for this add on and all of the others you bring to us. We do have THE very best ninjas. gabn/gabaf/rtr/hbtd
Federal Commanders playing politics meant that it took a lot more blood and ordnance to take Fort Fisher. Another time in history that Big Army and Big Navy couldn’t agree.
Camp Wheeler was used as a staging/training area during the SP/AM War, too. Wiki and the rest don’t talk about that too much. “Fighting Joe” Wheeler was one of several Confederate Officers that led troops during the late 19th Century. Some other local history on Camp Wheeler is Big Army wanted to make it a permanent post during SP/AM & WWI, asking the City Fathers of Macon/Bibb County to build direct road from downtown to Main Post. Didn’t happen. War Dprt made the same offer in 1941. By the time the politicians decided it would be a good thing, the work of the Replacements for upcoming casualties was nearly done and Big Army told ’em to go piss up a rope. The logic of Big Army was to have the Schools for Wayward Boys of Benning, Wheeler, and Stewart all tied together with existing rail lines and US Hwy 80 connecting to the port of Savannah. The FIRST (ht2 CW) 5 years of my life were in a former orderly room turned house on what was main post. Many of the buildings from WWI & II were still standing and used as housing until the mid ’70s. The area is an industrial park now, but there are still undeveloped sections where the building and/or equipment foundations can be seen. It took us finding all types of unexploded ordnance while trenching in communications cables or house foundations before Big Army finally sent the EOD boys thru the two counties it straddled trying to clean it all up in the early 2000s.
Hurtgen Forest was a quick death meat grinder as a rule. Cabanatuan POW Cab was a slow, painful, murder by the Japanese. Ghost Soldiers Book tells that sad tale.
Never Forget…indeed.
PFC George Benjamin “Bud” Thomas:
January 5, 1913 ~ November 24, 1944
31 Years Old
https://www.rebellofuneralhome.com/obituary/GeorgeBud-Thomas
“Private First Class George B. Thomas, known to many as simply Bud, passed away on November 24, 1944, in Vossenack, Germany. Born on January 5, 1913, in Providence, Rhode Island, he was a selfless and courageous individual who dedicated his life to serving his country.”
“Bud was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of the late George and Annie Thomas. He was the brother of the late Michael Thomas, Paul Thomas, John Thomas, Helen Saad, Victoria Thomas, Adele George, and Hannah Thomas. He is survived by several nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and nephews, who will continue to honor his memory and legacy. George had lived in East Providence all of his life prior to joining the US Army.”
“Private First Class Thomas enlisted in the United States Army and served with distinction in Company C, 1st Battalion, 13th Regiment, 8th Infantry Division during the Second World War. He was deployed to the European Theater, where he bravely fought for freedom and justice. On November 24, 1944, George was reported Missing In Action while fighting near Germeter and Vossenack during the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest in Germany. Private First Class Thomas was last seen during the artillery barrage, demonstrating his unwavering courage in the face of danger…”
“Bud’s selfless and courageous nature was evident not only during his military service but also in his personal life. He was a devoted son, brother, and uncle who prioritized the well-being of his family above all else. His kindness and generosity extended to his friends and community, who will always remember him as a pillar of strength and support.”
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/256126926/george-benjamin-thomas
Rest In Peace, Soldier.
Salute.
Never Forget.
Bring Them All Home.
Welcome home Brothers. Rest in peace now.
There are several nice pictures of LT Paul William Schmidt at this link:
https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/3178832/pilot-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-schmidt-p/
LT Schmidt’s parents were Mr and Mrs. Harold C. Schmidt of Rockville Center, NY.
In the attached picture, a newspaper article stated he had an Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, began his flight training in May 1943 and received his Commission and wings in February 1943.
Rest In Peace, Sir.
Salute.
Never Forget.
Bring Them All Home.
A very interesting 2015 article reference LT Schmidt:
http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=55204
“Hi.”
“I’m a journalist working for a local newspaper here in Warendorf/Germany and I’m researching the end of WWII in my town for a series of articles in the coming months.”
“There was an incident I’m trying to find out more about: On March 23th 1945 an american plane on a recon mission was shot down by flak over Warendorf. The plane crashed into a ropery and killed the owner. The man killed was my grandfathers father-in-law, he was the only civilian war dead in Warendorf. The fighter pilot was killed, too, his name was Paul W. Schmidt and he was from Garden City/NY. His mother and his younger brother visited the crash site and his grave here in Warendorf in 1958, there’s a newspaper article about his family visiting my family.”
“Now I want to tell his and my familiy’s story 70 years.”
“I did a little research and got the Missing Air Crew Report:”
http://i.imgur.com/0ksS2LM.jpg
“From that I know that 1st Lieutenant Paul William Schmidt flew a F6-D10 with the tail number #44-140159”
“And I got a hint that there are pictures of his aircraft.”
“Now there’s some confusion about this particular tail number because Tamiya offered a model-plane which has an (almost?) identical number, but the date and the pilot don’t match.”
“Is there any chance that a tail number was used twice? I know that the tail numbers were shortened during the war and the first digit(?) was left out.”
“Can you help me out?”
“Thank you very much!”
Welcome Home.
One can find PFC Arthur C. Barrett’s family member at this link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56751000/arthur-c-barrett
We are wondering if his middle name is “Clarence” since that is his Dad’s name.
Arthur was born on 11 January 1915 in Swanton, Vermont and died from cerebral malaria on 19 July 1942 at Cabanatuan Prison Camp in the Philippines.
He enlisted in the US Army in March 1939 and trained at Fort Slocum. He was sent to the Hawaiian Islands, then transferred to the Philippines. He served with the 31st Infantry Division.
Both members of the ninja had the honor of visiting the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (AKA) as Fort William McKinley was he was initially buried. It was a very sobering experience.
Rest In Peace, Soldier.
Salute.
Never Forget.
Bring Them All Home.
The stars burn a little brighter now that our own are brought home.
May you live forever in our hearts.
{salute}
*Slow Salute*
Rest In Peace, you’ve earned your places in History and Valhalla.