Another Four Are Home

DPMO has announced the identification of four US MIAs from the Korean War.

• MSG Francis H. Stamer, M Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, US Army was lost on 2 November 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for 29 October 2014.
• CPL Leland F. Smith, K Company, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, US Army was lost 28 November 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for 8 November 2014.
• CPL Richard L. Wing, H Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, US Army was lost 28 November 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for 7 November 2014.
• SGT Michael J. Barra, Company C, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army was lost 20 February 1951 in North Korea. He was accounted for 23 October 2014.

All of these belatedly returned brothers-in-arms will be buried with full military honors. Information concerning the dates and locations of their interments is not readily available.

Welcome home, my elder brothers-in-arms. Rest in peace.

. . .

Over 73,000 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,800 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; and over 1,600 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia (SEA). Comparison of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from recovered remains against mtDNA from a matrilineal descendant can assist in providing a positive ID for those recovered remains.

Unfortunately, JPAC has recently reorganized their web site; they no longer seems to provide by-name lists of the MIAs for whom there is a need for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) samples to assist in possible identification of remains. So if you have a relative that is still MIA from World War II, Korea, or SEA – please consider reading this JPAC fact sheet to see if you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample.

If you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample and have a relative from World War II, Korea, or SEA who is still MIA, please contact JPAC (there is an 866 number on the flier linked above) and see if they already have a mtDNA sample for your missing relative. If not, please arrange to 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.

Everybody deserves a proper burial. That’s especially true for those who gave their all while serving this nation.

Category: No Longer Missing