Ten More Return
DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel.
From World War II
WT2c Edgar D. Gross, 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 30 August 2018.
S1c Earl P. Baum, 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 30 August 2018.
S1c Joseph K. Maule, 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 30 August 2018.
S1c George E. Naegle, 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 30 August 2018.
Pfc Alva J. Cremean, USMC, assigned to the Marine Detachment of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. He was accounted for on 30 August 2018.
Sgt Millard Odom, USMC, assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, was lost on Tarawa on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 30 August 2018.
1st Lt. John D. Crouchley, Jr., US Army, assigned to 828th Bombardment Squadron, 485th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force, US Army Air Forces, was lost in Bulgaria on 28 June 1944. He was accounted for on 4 September 2018. (See Note.)
SSgt. Herbert W. Harms, US Army, assigned to 569th Bombardment Squadron, 390th Bombardment Group, 13th Combat Bombardment Wing, 3rd Air Division, 8th Air Force, US Army Air Forces, was lost in Germany on 16 August 1944. He was accounted for on 4 September 2018.
From Korea
SFC James S. Streetman, Jr., US Army, assigned to B Company, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, was lost in South Korea on 22 July 1950. He was accounted for on 4 September 2018.
From Southeast Asia
Col. Fredric M. Mellor, US Air Force, assigned to 30th Tactical Squadron/ 15th Tactical Recon Forces, was lost in Vietnam on 13 August 1965. He was accounted for on 13 July 2018. (See Note.)
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 Note: DPAA apparently “slip-streamed” the entry for Col. Mellor into their “Recently Accounted For” page listing sometime during the past 2 1/2 months. Regrettably, I did not notice that fact until this week.
Category: No Longer Missing
Hondo:
Just to let you know that from Korea, it should be SFC James S. Streetman, Jr. instead of SFC Herbert W. Harms.
I thought I’d changed that. Thanks, AP. Fixed now.
Welcome home, boys. Table’s set, drinks are on the house.
Thanks, Hondo.
Welcome home.
Welcome home Brothers. Rest in peace in your home soil now. God be with your families.
Welcome home, men.
Rest well.
Welcome Home.
There is a very touching tribute to SFC James Silas Streetman, Jr. by his sister, Sharon and a nice photo of him in his uniform:
https://www.koreanwar.org/html/korean_war_project_remembrance_search_6_2013.html?key=29067
“JAMES SILAS STREETMAN, JR. was born December 20, 1929 at 737 Front Street, Columbus, Georgia, the second of eight children born to James Silas and Lillian Vondula Hurtt Streetman. He attended East Highland, Rosemont, and Beallwood Elementary Schools in Columbus. He was a Ledger-Enquirer Newspaper carrier during high school…”
A memorial was held for him at the Fort Benning National Cemetery on June 25, 1994, the 44th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean Conflict.
He is finally home.
Rest in Peace, Soldier…and Welcome Home.
“Rhode Island’s First Vietnam War Casualty, Colonel Fredric Moore Mellor, affectionately known as “Freddie” by family and friends will finally be coming home to his native Rhode Island where he will be laid to rest with full military honors after being “unaccounted for” (MIA/KIA) for the last 53 years.
He was 30 years old when he was Killed In Action:
http://m.legacy.com/obituaries/providence/obituary.aspx?n=colonel-fredric-m-mellor&pid=190151288&referrer=0&preview=false
“Interment with Full Military Honors will be held on Friday September 28, 2018 at 11:00 in the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Exeter, RI.”
Rest in Peace, Sir and Welcome Home.
Welcome home. You’ve been missed.
Memorial left for SSgt. Herbert Wayne Harms, US Army, age 28 of Rutland, Illinois, by his family:
“Salutatorian of the 1933 Rutland (Illinois) High School class. He took a 2 year teacher’s course at Illinois State University, but could not find a teaching job . So he hitch-hiked to Texas and then California. Ever adventurous, Herb traveled to Alaska eventually working a gold claim. After joining the Army , he became a waist gunner on a B-17. The plane never returned from a mission on August 16, 1944 after making many successful runs, even earning a presidential citation. He was greatly missed by his father, five brothers and five sisters. His memory is kept alive by many nieces and nephews.”:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56281828
Rest in Peace and Welcome Home, SSG Harms. You were never forgotten.
A very nice picture of First Lieutenant John Dudley Crouchly, Jr. in uniform as well as his story:
http://cramerssabersrotcalumni.org/690-2/
“John graduated from Rhode Island State College (RISC) in 1939 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. John participated in the Army ROTC program while a student at RISC. He was a member of the Beta Psi Fraternity and participated in the Kingston Players, the Rhody Review, Wrangles, Intramural sports and was a member of the Varsity Golf Team.”
“He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces on 17 March 1942.”
“On 28 June 1944, the B-24 “Miss Yankee Rebel” with 1LT John D. Crouchley as the pilot was one of 27 B-24 Liberators of the 828th Bombardment Squadron, 485th Bombardment Group (H) took off from the Foggia Airfield, Italy on a bombing raid over Bucharest, Romania. After the bomb run, the Miss Yankee Rebel, plane # 701 had two engines on fire and began a 30-degree drive. In his last conversation before the plane crashed, LT Crouchley asked the bombardier to assist the wounded and other members of the crew in bailing out. LT Crouchley was last seen in the pilot’s seat and remained with the plane to keep it steady while the crew bailed out.”
“For his actions, First Lieutenant John Dudley Crouchley, Jr., U.S. Army Air Forces, was cited for Gallantry in Action and Bravery and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart Medal and Air Medal (Posthumously).”
He was 28 when he was Missing in Action:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55903237/john-dudley-crouchley
No longer missing. “Dud” is finally home. Rest in Peace, L-T.
Had to come back on this one, wouldn’t open earlier. My perimeter wire is pretty good on this ‘puter. Got into the story & noticed, if all the dates are correct, Dud was accounted for on what would have been his 101st birthday.
A nice picture of Sgt Millard Odom, USMC ( born in Batesville, Arkansas and enlisted in California) in his uniform as well as his awards can be found on these two links:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56127320/millard-odom
https://marines.togetherweserved.com/usmc/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=366897
“SGT Odom died on the first day of the Battle of Tarawa on Nov. 20, 1943, during the first waves of the assault.”
“SGT Odom was reportedly buried in Cemetery #33. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but Odom’s remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947.”
“By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu.”
“On Feb. 27, 2017, DPAA disinterred Tarawa Unknown X-273 from the cemetery in Honolulu, and sent the remains to the laboratory.”
“To identify Odom’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, dental, anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.”
“Odom’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others killed or lost in WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.”
Rest in Peace, SGT Odom. You were never forgotten.
A very nice picture of Pfc Alva Jackson Cremean, USMC (of Pueblo, Colorado) in uniform, can be found at this link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/186133473/alva-jackson-cremean
PFC Cremean was 20 when he was Killed in Action on 7 December 1941. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Cremean of Rocky Ford, Colorado and a former Central High School Student. PFC Cremean was graduated from Rocky Ford High School, where he attended his senior year. He was a brother of Mrs. Earl Medill of Rye, and also of Joan Cremean of Rocky Ford:
https://www.geni.com/people/PFC-Alva-Jackson-Cremean-USMC/6000000032794533113
Rest in Peace, PFC Cremean. You were never forgotten.
A touching story of Navy Seaman George E. Naegle with his picture, can be found at the link below:
“Nearly 77 years after he died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Navy Seaman 1st Class George E. Naegle of La Crosse, Wisconsin, is finally coming home.”:
https://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/remains-of-la-crosse-sailor-who-died-in-pearl-harbor/article_9575cc33-b94c-5b6c-bf7c-a5a3eefad947.html
“Naegle was a 1938 graduate of Central High School, where he was a star football player, according to a story in the Dec. 22, 1941, La Crosse Tribune, which reported that he was still missing. It said he had enlisted in the Navy in January 1939.”
You were never forgotten, S1c George E. Naegle. Soon you will home to family in Wisconsin.
Rest in Peace.
Welcome Hone Fallen Warriors, Rest In Peace. You’ve earned your places in History and Valhalla.
A newspaper article, a photograph and a headstone can be found on this link of US Navy Seaman First Class Joseph Keith Maule of Bloomfield, Nebraska. He was only 17/18 years old when he died on 7 December 1941:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63578228/joseph-keith-maule
“The family of Joseph Keith Maule placed a stone at the cemetery in Bloomfield Nebraska, but his remains are not there. He is one of the MIA listed on the wall atPearl Harbor as his body was not identified after December 7, 1941 when his ship,the USS Oklahoma was sunk. The DOD is starting to exhume remains from that ship,and are looking to connect with family members. I am in the process of trying tofind someone close enough for a DNA sample and hopefully bring Joe “home” to be buried with his family at the Bloomfield Cemetery. His mother and father were my Great-Aunt Ellen (Buck) Maule and Great-Uncle Anton Maule. Contributor BJ Allen-Murray”
“The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today (September 6, 2018) that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, killed in action during World War II have been identified as those of U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class Joseph K. Maule. Maule, 18, born in Bloomfield, Nebraska, was accounted for on August 8.
On Dec. 7, 1941, S1 Maule was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37), which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Maule.
His name is permanently inscribed in the “Courts of the Missing” at the Honolulu Memorial.
You were only a Teenager, Joe. So young when you were taken. But you were never forgotten.
Rest in Peace.
AnotherPat, I sent this post in an email to my nephew in NE. He’s a former swabbie and lives about an hour from Bloomfield. He gonna try to follow up with any local postings, and if it is allowed, and they have a public service he’s planning to attend. Keep up the good work. jc nsnr
A nice picture of Seaman First Class Earl P. Baum, US Navy, of Chicago, Illinois, can be found at the link. He was only 19 when he was killed in action on 7 December 1941:
https://navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=SBVTimeLine&type=Person&ID=253743
It has been a long time,S1c Baum, but you were never forgotten.
Rest in Peace.
A nice picture and a tribute to Water Tender 2nd Class Edgar David Gross of Athens, Alabama, age 39, can be found in two Alabama newspaper articles. One article discusses how he was identified through DNA of family members. The other article talks about “Uncle Ed’s” returning home to Alabama:
http://www.enewscourier.com/news/local_news/pearl-harbor-limestone-man-s-remains-identified/article_e90fb280-b2fa-11e8-a908-bf9db4f23138.html
https://www.annistonstar.com/news/calhoun/one-alabama-family-longs-to-see-remains-of-kin-a/article_59fafe96-bc12-11e6-873b-c3e66a5b04df.html
“A family’s yearslong journey to reclaim the remains of a Limestone County man killed at Pearl Harbor took a significant step forward this week…”
You were never forgotten, Uncle Ed. Your family eagerly awaits to bring you home to Sweet Home Alabama.
Rest in Peace.
Welcome Home Troops. Peace be unto your Families that you are now accounted for. Sorry for the delay. May we not give up on the others. Hondo thanks again for bringing these posts for us. And Another Pat, much thanks for the additional info/links. Always adds so much to the story. For decades, starting as a little boy, I have visited cemeteries looking for and paying honors to Veteran’s Graves. Seeing the name, unit, and branch of service is one thing; you bring the background and the pictures, especially make that added touch to hit home. For the two of you and these returning Warriors: Slow Hand Salute
5th/77thFA:
You have also been a contributor for additional information to our lost Brothers, so a Slow Hand Salute to YOU as well.
😊👏👍
Many thanks and credit to 2/17 Air Cav for starting this trend. Hope others will follow in his lead. I recall others on TAH have shared pictures and bios as well, so thank you to them.
And of course, to Hondo.
My family and I also enjoy visiting and paying honor at Veteran’s Grave sites. Thank goodness for Wreaths Across America (thanks again to OWB for getting us back to doing that).
Field Artillery=King of Battle. Right, 5th/77thFA?😉
Thank you, Another Pat. Much appreciate the stories behind the names.
Welcome home, brothers. Rest in Peace.
Apologies that it took so long to return you to your families.
“Bringing Dignity to what would otherwise be considered an ugly brawl.”
Can one have a heart filled with joy and tears of almost overwhelming sadness that men have finally been returned to their loved ones after 50 years or more? If so, thats me every time these are posted.