Two More Are Accounted-For
DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US military personnel.
From World War II
• Flight Officer Judson B. Baskett, 1305th Army Air Force Base Unit, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Malaysia on 27 November 1945. He was accounted-for on 15 June 2016.
From Korea
• CWO Adolphus Nava, B Battery, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 30 Novemer 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted-for on 22 June 2016.
Welcome back, elder brothers-in-arms. Our apologies that your return took so long.
You’re home now. 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 DNA from recovered remains against DNA from some (but not all) blood relatives can assist in making a positive ID for unidentified remains that have already been recovered, or which may be recovered in the future.
On their web site’s “Contact Us” page, DPAA now has FAQs. The answer to one of those FAQs describes who can and cannot submit DNA samples useful in identifying recovered remains. The chart giving the answer can be viewed here. The text associated with the chart is short and can be viewed in DPAA’s FAQs.
If your family lost someone in one of these conflicts and you qualify to submit a DNA 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.
(Note: hat-tip to TAH reader chindonya for links to DPAA’s FAQ page and the chart of eligible DNA donors.)
Category: No Longer Missing
Welcome home, brothers. Rest in peace.
Welcome home, men.
Rest well.
I was very intrigued by FO Baskett’s loss; 27 Nov 1945, 3 months after VJ Day, as well as his organization 1305 AAF Base Unit. It sounded like one of those adhoc wartime units that we would imagine would be rapidly deactivated as hostilities wound down. Here’s FO Baskett and his crewmate’s story
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local/knoxvillian-wants-uncles-reburial-in-us-ep-360987300-356982251.html
Rest well friend, your sacrifice is remembered.
It’s another of a long line of instances in which the US gov’t closed its book and washed its hands. The crash site was first located in 1966, was noted, but no action taken. It was rediscovered years later, again not by the gov’t but by private individuals who then had to push, prod, threaten, and do all manner of things to get the US gov’t to do something. Some people swear by JPAC. I swear at them.
Welcome home, men. Welcome back to home soil.
I would respectfully suggest that given their budget and resources, as well as manpower, that they might be cut a bit of slack on not getting to every single one of these.
Welcome home brothers. Rest in peace in your home soil now. God be with your families.
Welcome Home…. Salute
Rest Well