Another Thirteen Return
DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel.
From World War II
• ENS William M. Thompson, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 6 April 2017.
• MM1 Fred M. Jones, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 6 April 2017.
• EM3 Don O. Neher, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 6 April 2017.
• S1c George A. Coke, US Navy, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 6 April 2017.
• T/4 John Kovach, Jr., Company C, 192nd Tank Battalion, US Army, was lost in the Philippines on 19 November 1942. He was accounted for on 7 April 2017.
• Pvt Harold S. Hirschi, Headquarters Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in the Philippines on 19 November 1942. He was accounted for on 13 April 2017.
• 1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, 414th Bombardment Squadron, 97th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Poland on 24 January 1944. He was accounted for on 5 April 2017.
From Korea
• CPL Leslie R. Sutton, B Battery, 99th Field Artillery Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 2 November 1950. He was accounted for on 13 April 2017.
• CPL Daniel F. Kelly, C Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 26 November 1950. He was accounted for on 22 March 2017.
• PFC Richard A. Lucas, C Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in North Korea on 26 November 1950. He was accounted for on 13 April 2017.
From Southeast Asia
• Cpt. John A. House, II, HHM-265, Marine Aircraft Group 16, USMC, was lost in Vietnam on 30 June 1967. He was accounted for on 9 April 2017.
• Cpl Glyn. L, Runnels, Jr., Company A, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, USMC, was lost in Vietnam on 30 June 1967. He was accounted for on 9 April 2017.
• John D. Killen, III, Company A, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, USMC, was lost in Vietnam on 30 June 1967. He was accounted for on 9 April 2017.
Welcome back, elder brother-in-arms. Our apologies that your return took so long.
Rest in peace. You’re home now.
Happy Easter.
. . .
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
I tear up when I read these. I do.
Welcome Home, Men. You were gone but not forgotten. I am humbled by your sacrifice.
Blessings on this Easter Sunday. Blessings …
I am with you Chief. Somehow though these posts are strangely comforting as if we will all be reunited someday and I guess just knowing we are still looking after all of these years is important to those of us in the warrior community.
Few others care; but we do and that means a lot by my way of thinking.
Same here Chief.
Welcome home brothers. God rest you well in your home soil.
Just seems especially appropriate today…
Welcome Home, Fallen Warriors, Rest In Peace. You’ve earned your rightful places in History and Valhalla.
The Marines were aboard a CH-46 that was hit hard as Captain House attempted to put down in the designated LZ. He tried desperately to get the bird to a place of relative safety but a round, reported to be an anti-tank round, tore through the a/c and severed a fuel line. The fuel ignited instantly and the bird was engulfed. The crash took five lives but there were wounded and burned survivors. They expected the VC to put upon them and one Marine took a grenade, pulled the pin, and put it in the hand of a badly hurt fellow Marine as a final action against the enemy. The VC did not pursue and the survivors were extracted.
https://books.google.com/books?id=29kf_P21Sq0C&pg=PA156&lpg=PA156&dq=Glyn+Runnels&source=bl&ots=w-WT3L9gvJ&sig=wIB2jSkwsDNyjmzACzdN5hUFtHQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjs7rvZ_qjTAhUn6IMKHYMED8E4ChDoAQghMAA#v=onepage&q=Glyn%20Runnels&f=false
Thank you 2/17 Air Cav.
T/4 John Kovach, Jr. was a POW at Cabanatuan who died there. Here’s a Bataan Project link to the vitals, including family info.
http://bataanproject.com/Kovach.html
Pvt Harold S. Hirschi of Oklahoma, all of 18 years old, was buried in a common grave at Cabanatuan with T/4 Kovach and a dozen other men.
At last, brothers. Rest In Peace now.
Note for Hondo, since you research and find these. Are any of the MIA from WWI still found or have they been accounted for (roughly) or has their search been given up?
You ask a great question, Sparks. DPAA is not involved in pre-WWII MIAs, as far as I can tell. No gov’t outfit is, but here’s a site that is chock full of good info and links regarding WW I MIAs. I wasn’t aware of it until I sought to answer your question, so thanks for that.
http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/doughboy-mia-home.html
Welcome home, Brothers.
Welcome home, brothers in arms.
The work done to identify our missing is truly amazing. I’m so proud of the work they do to bring our loved ones home.
Rest Now In Peace Brave Sirs. THANK YOU for our Freedoms.