Ten More Are Home
DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel.
From World War II
FM1c Millard C. Pace, 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 20 July 2018.
CM3c William L. Kvidera, 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 26 July 2018.
Cpl Claire E. Goldtrap, USMC, assigned to Company A, 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, was lost on Tarawa on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 23 July 2018.
Pfc Merton R. Riser, USMC Reserve, assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, was lost on Tarawa on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 26 July 2018.
Pfc Robert L. Zehetner, USMC Reserve, assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, was lost on Tarawa on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 23 July 2018.
1st Lt. Ottaway B. Cornwell, US Army, assigned to 4th Fighter Squadron, 52nd Fighter Group, Twelfth (XII) Air Force, US Army Air Forces, was lost in France on 27 January 1944. He was accounted for on 25 July 2018.
PFC Leslie E. Shankles, US Army, assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, was lost in France on 14 October 1944. He was accounted for on 30 July 2018.
Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson, US Army, assigned to 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, US Army Air Forces, was lost in Austria on 23 December 1944. He was accounted for on 27 July 2018.
PVT John B. Cummings, US Army, assigned to A Company, 276th Infantry Regiment, 70th Infantry Division, was lost in France on 31 December 1944. He was accounted for on 23 July 2018.
From Korea
Sgt Meredith F. Keirn, USMC, assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was lost in North Korea on 30 November 1950. He was accounted for on 31 May 2018. (See note.)
From Southeast Asia
None
Welcome back, elder brothers-in-arms. Our apologies that your return took so long.
Rest easy. You’re home now.
. . .
Over 72,000 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,600 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; over 1,500 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia (SEA); 126 remain unaccounted for from the Cold War; 5 remain unaccounted for from the Gulf Wars; and 1 individual remains unaccounted for from Operation Eldorado Canyon. 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 Notes:
1. An article announcing the recovery, identification, and accounting for of three of these elder brothers-in-arms (FM1c Pace, 1st Lt Cornwell, and PVT Cummings) should have appeared on Sunday, 29 July 2018.
I drafted an article to that effect. Unfortunately, because of other events ongoing at that time I simply didn’t remember to post it.
2. Sgt Keirn was accounted for on 31 May, but as best I can tell notice of his accounting was not posted to DPAA’s “Recently Accounted For” page for some time afterwards. I only noted that his name had appeared on DPAA’s list of those recently accounted for this past week.
Category: No Longer Missing
There’s a fellow who goes by the title and name of Sgt. Bellis. He IDs himself as a Marine and a VN Veteran. I have come upon him more than once in searching for info on the Fallen identified by DPAA. What Bellis does that is worth mentioning is that he writes remembrances, beginning with, “Welcome Home. You are not forgotten.” He has written hundreds and hundreds of such messages. He has adopted it as a personal mission, one can guess, and I just wanted to mention it because I think it speaks volumes about the ties that bind Veterans. Thank you for your good work, Sgt. Bellis.
Claire E. Goldtrap, forever 21, was born on 10 April 1922. He was from a small Oklahoma farming area called Hobart, in Kiowa county. He was the youngest of four boys in the household of John and Blanche Goldtrap. In 1943, the family lost suffered a double loss: Claire and his Dad. Welcome home, Marine.
Until this year, the WW II missing included 27 Tuskegee airmen. That number dropped by one when the remains of 24-year old Captain Lawrence E. Dickson were found last year in Hohenthurn, Austria. Dickson was on his 68th mission (!) went his P-51 went down, two days before Christmas in 1944. Welcome home, captain.
Welcome Home.
Thanks for the background, Cav. Puts a human face is to the names.
FC1c is Fireman First Class, and CM3c is a Carpenter Third Class.
FM1c Millard C. Pace, forever 24, was from Vanndale, Arkansas. Here’s his pic:
https://www.geni.com/people/F1c-Millard-C-Pace/6000000032929756972
It’s incredible that they are still finding the remains of MIA Marines at Tarawa Atoll, because the total area of Betio island where the fighting took place is only 0.59 square miles.
All of the historical accounts that I have read about the battle for Tarawa have been in agreement that the fighting there was savage beyond belief.
Welcome home to all of the MIAs.
The reason for that was an entire lost cemetery, Mick. It was History Flight that found them several years ago. You’ve probably visited their website. If so, this is for anyone who has not:
http://historyflight.com/nw/
My father’s youngest brother was KIA/MIA at Tarawa. He wasn’t even 18 when he died. Supposedly was interned at the lost cemetery. Still hoping for that phone call some day saying they matched my DNA to his remains.
It will happen Bill W. I honestly believe that it will.
Believe that Tarawa had several burial sites/ cemeteries where fallen Marines ( and Sailors) were buried.
Wartime construction, weather and the changing of the Island’d geography made it hard to find remains after the war when servicemen throughout the pacific islands were moved back to Hawaii or the states in 1946.
There is nothing that I can add to this wonderful John B. Cummings tribute page.
https://www.facebook.com/John-B-Cummings-Memorial-Page-432125120205215/
BTW, I don’t FB, but the person who posted that tribute page is ecstatic that “Jack” was ID’ed after all of these many years. If you FB, consider doing that “Like” thing there.
Welcome home Brothers. Rest in peace in your home soil now.
When we think of the legendary Spitfire, we think of the RAF, but the USAAF used some 600 of them during the war in Europe, w/o ever giving them a US designation. It was a Spitfire that Ottaway B. Cornwell was flying in an attack on a German airfield in France when he was shot down. He was from Harris, Texas and was 23 or 24 when he flew his final mission. Welcome home.
Here’s some history on the USAAF and Navy using the Spitfire in WWII:
https://warisboring.com/americas-spitfires/
Thanks for your research of these fallen warriors, 2/17.
The Cummings’ FB really put a face on him. Even has a picture of him with his sister before his going overseas.
Welcome Home, men. I am humbled by your sacrifice. You were gone but never forgotten.
Following 2/17 Cav’s lead, here is the story with pictures of USMC SGT Meredith Keirns:
https://buffalonews.com/2018/07/24/68-years-after-his-death-in-north-korea-a-local-marines-remains-are-coming-home/
So young. He’s finally home just as the others mentioned here.
Bring them all home.
Thanks for that, and please feel free to join in with research whenever you like. You have magical web-search capabilities and can find more than I. As for Marine Keirns, welcome home.
You are so welcome, 2/17 Air Cav. And Thank YOU for the compliment.
Will still follow your lead. As HMC Ret noted, really appreciate you putting a face and a story behind the names of our Warriors who finally made it home.
Pvt John Bradford “Jack” Cummings
BIRTH 14 May 1922
Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, USA
DEATH 31 Dec 1944 (aged 22)
In December 1944, Cummings was a member of Company A, 276th Infantry Regiment, 70th Infantry Division, along the France and Germany border to reinforce the Alsace area. On Dec. 31, 1944, German troops crossed the Rhine River into France. As darkness fell, two member of Cummings’ company passed him as he sat in a foxhole near the riverbank. Sometime later, U.S. troops heard German machine gun fire and maneuvered their way back to Cummings’ foxhole. The troops were unable to find Cummings, but they did find a helmet with a bullet hole. Despite extensive recovery efforts, Cummings’ remains were unable to be located.
This soldier was born just south of me.
Welcome home brother.
Thank you for your service & sacrifice .
Thank You, Skyjumper, for this.
2/17 Air Cav and Hondo: I do believe you both started a Team Trend on our MIAs/POWs….
😊
AnotherPat,
I think 2/17 Air Cav & Hondo did start something, and you also.
Maybe we can make this an added feature to the “More come home” section.
To me, this blog is still Jonn’s whom I have had much respect for and will continue to, so I don’t ever want to overstep any boundaries.
Having said that, I would be willing to help out if it’s agreeable. I think it would bring more of the human element into these postings.
Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson, US Army,
In December 1944, Dickson was a pilot with the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, in the European Theater. On Dec.23, 1944, Dickson departed Ramitelli Air Base, Italy on an aerial reconnaissance mission toward Praha, Czechoslovakia. On his return, Dickson’s P-51D aircraft suffered engine failure and was seen to crash along the borders of Italy and Austria, reportedly between Malborghetto and Tarviso, Italy. According to witnesses, Dickson’s plane had rolled over with the canopy jettisoned. He was not observed ejecting from the plane. Dickson’s remains were not recovered and he was subsequently declared missing in action.
Welcome home brother.
Thank you for your service & sacrifice .
Jonn and Hondo put up the DPAA listings most every Sunday and, wherever I can, I search census and other sources to try to learn something about the men listed. I also use after action reports where I can, to glean something about the circumstances under which a man Fell. Then there are the local stories that sometimes surface about one of the men, as well as info sometimes available from a paper regarding a “local” man who was POW or MIA, only later to have his staus changed. All of the Fallen lived a life, however shortened by war, and it is important that, where we can, we recognize those lives and those who loved them and grieved them. Anyone and everyone who is willing to contribute is welcome to do so at any time. I think it’s great and, again, it speaks well of TAH and those who refuse to forget.
Absolutely. I have long appreciated the additional information you post about these individuals. It is important and makes our remembering them so much easier. A couple of times I have been able to visit their final resting places and in one instance attend their interment service thanks to your research.
And now I can no longer say that I won’t use those confounded buttons. Yours was such an important post that I hit that #%@ likey thingy. Life will never be the same!
Take it bacK! Once you start, they say, there is no stopping. If you can’t take it back, hit dislike, the two will cancel each other out, and you will be back to 0. I won’t mind.
OWB, I just hit the “Like” button on your comment because you hit the “like” button on 2/17 Air Cav’s comment! One good turn deserves another. (grin)
Woe is us, where does it end…….or does it?
If I wanted to be liked, I would join FB and lie a lot.
Welcome home, brothers.
Welcome Home Men. Sorry it took so long. We pray that eventually all will accounted for. A special thanks for this section on Sunday’s TAH to the ones who go the extra mile in adding the stories and faces for these men. I don’t do the faked out spaced book page thingy either, but family members do, so I usually send them the linkies. Hondo, Cav, AP, keep up the good work.
“His Lord said to him, Well done, you good and faithful servant…” Matthew 25:21.
CPL Claire Eulin Goldtrap was reported as Killed in Action due to gunshot and shrapnel wounds on 20 November 1943 on Tarawa. In 2011/2012, Chief Rick Stone, while a member of the Department of Defense, investigated all of the unresolved Tarawa casualties and determined that CPL Goldtrap was buried as an “Unknown” in the Punchbowl Cemetery in Honolulu in 1947. The Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation researchers, using advanced law enforcement investigative techniques and sophisticated technologies not available to the government or their contractors, continued to investigate CPL Goldtrap’s case and confirmed that CPL Goldtrap was a most likely match to only three Punchbowl “Unknowns”. After over five years, the Department of Defense finally decided to act on Chief Stone’s recommendations for disinterment and identification of all of the Tarawa Punchbowl “Unknowns”. On 31 July 2018, CPL Goldtrap was officially announced as a Punchbowl Unknown. Welcome home Marine! We share the joy of your family in your impending return! God Bless you and thanks to ALL who never forgot you and your service to our country!