Why mtDNA?
Some TAH readers might wonder if JPAC really uses mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Yes, they do.
The remains of one Airman recently identified here as No Longer Missing – SGT Dominic J. Licari, US Army Air Forces were recovered from a 1944 crash site last year. He was identified using various forensic techniques. In this case, the mtDNA recovered from his remains in a 68-year-old crash site in the mountains of Papua New Guinea was matched with a sample obtained from his brother.
Over 73,600 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,900 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; and over 1,640 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. JPAC does not have mtDNA samples for all of them.
If you are a relative of one of the individuals listed here (World War II – critical need), listed here (Korea), or listed here (Southeast Asia) – please consider reading this link to see if you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample.
If you qualify, please submit a sample. By submitting a mtDNA sample, you may be able to help identify US remains that have been recovered and repatriated but not yet positively identified – or which may be recovered in the future.
Everybody deserves a proper burial. That’s especially true for those who gave their all in the service of this nation.
Category: No Longer Missing
Science and scientific advances may be the greatest thing I have observed across these many decades. The ability to use molecules to correctly identify persons lost in war as well as those involved in criminal endeavors is almost unbelievable to those of us old enough to remember when computers took up entire buildings to accomplish a very small percentage of what one’s telephone will do today.
This really is terrific use of resources.
OWB. Unfortunately, the abuses of science discoveries and advances are many, too. The Socialist Republic of Maryland seizes DNA samples from all arrestees. In the beginning, it was convicted felons only. Then it was convicted persons, regardless of crime. Now it is mere arrest. When will they eliminate arrest and mandate DNA samples be taken at birth and, for the rest of us, whenever we visit a doctor or ER?
It does work, but it depends greatly on the state of the remains. My uncle’s remains couldn’t be positively identified because his helicopter burned after it was shot down, plus 40 years in the jungle, so the bone fragments weren’t testable. However, they did find a tooth from his observer that yielded DNA, plus other bits of machine and uniform and that’s what they used for identification.
I remember my Dad going to many meetings over the years while they tried to location the crash site. The not knowing is incredibly stressful on the family.
It’s too bad all of the corruption and mismanaged of the POW/MIA department has come to light. You would think that if there was a government department that could be above the usual government cesspool, this one, with its honorable mission, would be it.
AC, unfortunately that is very true. Knowledge can always be abused. It’s just part of the human condition.