Eight More Return
DPAA has apparently “slipstreamed” a few additional accountings onto their list I didn’t catch until now; some of these are therefore a bit tardy. Oh well.
DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel.
From World War II
• Pvt. William D. Gruber, 93rd Bomber Squadron, 19th Bomber Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in the Philippines on 27 September 1942. He was accounted for on 22 February 2017.
• Pfc Jack J. Fox, USMC Reserve, assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, USMC, was lost on Tarawa on 14 February 1944November 1943. He was accounted for on 21 March 2017.
• 1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, 414th Bombardment Squadron, 97th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Germany on 24 January 1944. He was accounted for on 5 April 2017.
• Capt James W. Boyden, USMC Reserve, assigned to Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 233, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force, USMC, was lost in Papua New Guinea on 14 February 1944. He was accounted for on 3 March 2017.
• PFC Reece Gass, E Company, 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, US Army, was lost in Belgium on 14 January 1945. He was accounted for on 30 March 2017.
From Korea
• CPL Billie J. Jimerson, C Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 28 November 1950. He was accounted for on 15 February 2017.
• CPL Freddie L. Henson, A Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 6 December 1950. He was accounted for on 3 April 2017.
From Southeast Asia
• Capt. Freddie L. Henson, 8th Bomb Squadron, USAF, was lost in Laos on 4 July 1966. He was accounted for on 13 January 2017.
Welcome back, elder brother-in-arms. Our apologies that your return took so long.
Rest in peace. You’re home now.
. . .
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.
Category: No Longer Missing
Welcome home, Men.
Rest well.
Welcome home, boys.
I have only one story to give and it’s about Ewart Theodore Sconiers. It’s not about his background but about a mission he on a B-17. He was not a pilot. For whatever reason, he didn’t make it through flight school and became a bombardier. His bomber, Johnny Reb, was one of a dozen or so on a run to Holland on 21 August 1942, escorted part of the way by Spitfires. After the fighters flew to their limit and were recalled, German fighters attacked the flight of B-17s. Johnny Reb took a blast to the cockpit that killed the co-pilot and badly wounded the pilot. Sconiers came up from his bombardier station, pulled the dead co-pilot from his seat and took over the controls. He flew the badly damaged bomber back to England and landed it safely. The story was well publicized and Coniers received the DSC. One can well imagine the scene of horror that he faced when he entered that cockpit, only to have to do what the Army Air Forces told him he couldn’t: fly a B-17 and land it. There was his friend, dead, and another badly wounded, with freezing air rushing into the mangled and blood-spattered cockpit. Yet, he kept his head and saved the remaining crew. On a later mission, he would be shot down and taken captive. He would be transported to a POW camp in Poland and, following more than 400 days as prisoner, would die. Decades later, a family search would locate his grave and he would ultimately be identified and returned home. Ewart T. Sconiers. An amazing man. You can actually see him have a DSC pinned on at this link.
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/us-air-heroes-decorated
Thank you Air Cav for sharing this wonderful story about Ewart Theodore Sconiers! This man was a true hero and should be remembered for his heroic bravery! He continued to fight on and even spent approximately a year and a half as a POW and ultimately losing his life. I’m so glad after all these years he’s home at last!
Welcome home, brothers.