More Return from World War II
DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing members of the US military.
• FM3 Kenneth L. Jayne, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost on 7 December 1941 at Pearl Harbor, HI. He was accounted for on 14 April 2016.
• CPL George G. Simmons, H Battery, 60th Coast Artillery Regiment, US Army, was lost on 19 November 1942 in the Philippines. He was accounted for on 14 April 2016.
• PFC John P. Sersha, F Company, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, US Army, was lost on 27 September 1944 in the Netherlands. He was accounted for on 13 April 2016.
Welcome home, elder brothers-in-arms. Rest in peace now. You’re home.
. . .
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 making a positive ID for unidentified remains that have already been recovered, or which may be recovered in the future.
DPAA’s web site now has what appears to be a decent “Contact Us” page. The page doesn’t have instructions concerning who can and cannot submit a mtDNA sample or how to submit one, but the POCs listed there may be able to refer you to someone who can answer that question – or may be able to answer the question themselves. If you think you might possibly qualify, please contact one of those POCs for further information.
If your family lost someone in one of these conflicts and you qualify to submit a mtDNA 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
This is a link to the 325th Glider Infantry page.
http://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/325/325.html
Welcome back, and rest in peace.
A little follow-up on this one.
From the dates, one of these men was obviously lost at Pearl Harbor; another appears to have been lost during Market Garden. The third – CPL George G. Simmons – was apparently at Bataan/Corregidor. Based on the date of loss, CPL Simmons either died in Japanese custody after being taken POW or escaped Bataan/Corregidor and was later killed while fighting with the Philippine resistance. Not sure which.
Helluva lot of history here, even if it’s only a group of 3.
Again: welcome home, elder brothers-in-arms – and rest easy.
Rest in peace men, you certainly have earned that…
Thanks for posting these Hondo, it’s a good reminder that for many families when the conflict ends their story continues and often in very sad fashion never knowing for certain what happened or where their loved one lies…that’s a sacrifice often overlooked, not just the soldier’s life but the family’s loss as well.
Welcome Home and rest in peace. You have certainly earned it.
Just welcomed CPL George G. Simmons, H Battery, 60th Coast Artillery Regiment, US Army, lost on 19 November 1942 in the Philippines back home to the Bitterroot Valley here in Montana with the sharpest hand salute this old man could muster.
Rest now Soldier..You are finally home.