Four More Return

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

From World War II

• WT2c Porter L. Rich, 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 15 September 2017.

• S2c George J. Wilcox, 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 15 September 2017.

• 1st Lt. Homer A. Spence, 96th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group, US Army Air Forces, US Army, was lost in Italy on 20 July 1944. He was accounted for on 21 September 2017.

• PVT Shirley E. Bailey, G Company, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost in Germany on 29 November 1944. He was accounted for on 20 September 2017.

From Korea

• None

From Southeast Asia

• None

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, as of 23 September 2017 DPAA has yet to formally announce his accounting.

Category: No Longer Missing