Eleven More Are Accounted For

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

From World War II

• CWT Paul R. Wright, US Navy Reserve, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 1 September 2017.

• FM1c Charles R. Ogle, 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 11 September 2017.

• FM1c Gerald H. Pirtle, 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 31 August 2017.

• FM2c John D. Wheeler, 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 11 September 2017.

• S1c John E. Savidge, 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 1 September 2017.

• S2c Frank Wood, 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 7 September 2017.

• Pvt George F. Patrick, Company D, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, USMC, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 1 September 2017.

• 2nd Lt. Donald E. Underwood, 38th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 30th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost on Tarawa Atoll on 21 January 1944. He was accounted for on 9 September 2017.

• 1st Lt. Robert L. Mains, 714th Bombardment Squadron, 448th Bombardment Group, 2nd Bombardment Division, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Germany on 4 April 1944. He was accounted for on 4 September 2017.

• Sgt. Charles H. Daman, 714th Bombardment Squadron, 448th Bombardment Group, 2nd Bombardment Division, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Germany on 4 April 1944. He was accounted for on 14 September 2017.

From Korea

• None

From Southeast Asia

• CAPT James R. Bauder, US Navy, assigned to Fighter Squadron Twenty One, USS Coral, was lost in Vietnam on 21 September 1966. He was accounted for on 8 September 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.

 

(Author’s Note: While Jonn published an article announcing the recovery of SSG William Turner’s remains some time ago, it appears that as of 16 September 2017 DPAA has yet to announce his formal accounting.

Some of the above individuals were identified by DPAA in time to have been included in last week’s article. Unfortunately, pressing personal matters prevented my updating the draft version of last week’s article to include those individuals prior to publication.

Category: No Longer Missing