Two More Return

DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel.

From Southeast Asia

• CDR Charles B. Goodwin, US Navy Reserve, assigned to Detachment D, VFP-63, CVW-15, US Navy, was lost in Vietnam on 8 September 1965. He was accounted for on 1 June 2017.

• Capt. Joseph S. Smith, US Air Force Reserve, assigned to 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, US Air Force, was lost in Cambodia on 4 April 1971. He was accounted for on 12 May 2017.

Welcome back, elder brothers-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