Another Five Are Home
DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel.
From World War II
Bgmstr2c Lionel W. Lescault, 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 16 October 2018.
S1c John A. Karli, 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 16 October 2018.
S2c Charles C. Gomez, Jr., 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 9 October 2018.
Pfc Michael L. Salerno, USMC, assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, was lost on Tarawa on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 8 October 2018.
From Korea
None
From Southeast Asia
LT Richard C. Lannom, US Navy, assigned to Attack Squadron Three Five [ATKRON 35], USS Enterprise [CVA-65], was lost in Vietnam on 1 March 1968. He was accounted for on 9 October 2018.
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.
Category: No Longer Missing
Lannom, a flight officer assigned to Attack Squadron Three Five (ATKRON 35), USS Enterprise (CVA-65), was the bombardier/navigator aboard an A-6A aircraft on a night strike mission over Quang Ninh Province, North Vietnam. Radar contact with the aircraft was lost due to the low altitude of the aircraft, and the pilot had been instructed to turn his identification beeper off. The flight path to the target was over islands known to have light anti-aircraft artillery. When the aircraft failed to rendezvous with the carrier, a search and rescue effort was mounted. No evidence of the plane could be found. Lannom and his pilot were subsequently declared missing in action.
Welcome home brother. We never stopped looking for you.
LT Richard Clive Lannom was born on 24 January 1941 in Tennessee, with his Home of Record as Union City.
He was 27 years old and married when he was MIA on 1 March 1968.
There are several nice pictures of him on this site:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/97576204/richard-clive-lannom
He is finally coming home.
Salute.
Welcome home, men.
Rest well.
Welcome home.
I have a book entitled, Betio Beachhead. It was published in 1945. It was written by four Marines who were there, with the proceeds from sales going to “War Orphans Scholarships, Inc.” It is a vivid, no-holds-barred account of that terrible battle.
PFC Michael Leo Salerno was from Philly and a large Italian family. In 1940, he was 16 and had seven sisters and one older brother. Their parents had immigrated here from Italy and the family lived on Fuller Street, in a house that no longer stands. Mike’s company landed on Red Beach 2 at 0912 on 20 Nov 1943. Minutes later, the unit commander radioed, “Meeting heavy resistance.” Somewhere in that mass of Marines, fighting every bloody inch of the way, was Mike Salerno, the kid from Philly.
Something was telling me to wait before I posted on this. Knew I should have waited for you to show up, for more of “the rest of the story.” Can always count on my 2/17 AC dog to rattle my memory banks. I think I used to have that one, lost during divorce #2. Had a bunch of 1st edition hard backs from the 40s, 50s, and early 60s, most of them War Histories. Red Beach was appropriately named because the Marines had to fight for, and left their red blood on every grain of sand. Uncle was Army during the Island hopping Pacific Campaign. They did a lot of the mop up after the Marines had it semi secured. Not taking any thing away from our generations, or the current crop of Warriors, but how do you think we could field the numbers of warriors we had then in this day and age? Just saying.
This link provides detailed information on PFC Saleno to include his Marine Corps picture, his Biography and his Military Service to our country:
https://missingmarines.com/by-name/sugar/michael-l-salerno/
He was only 19 years old when he was missing in action. He is finally coming home.
Salute.
Welcome home Warriors. We are sorry it took so long. Peace be unto your Families. Thanks, again, Hondo and 26Limabeans, for the Posts and “the rest of the story.”
Lionel W. Lescault was likely on deck of the Oklahoma when the Japanese attacked. He was a bugle master and a member of the Oklahoma’s band. Here is a story that captures some of his background.
https://www.telegram.com/news/20181018/remains-of-worcester-sailor-who-died-at-pearl-harbor-identified
In 1940, 17-year old John Karli lived on West Walnut street with his parents, Albert and Hilda. His Dad had been born in Switzerland and his mother in Sweden. John had one sibling, Elsie, who was two years his senior. In the year the census was taken, John Albert Karli was a high school student. The following year, the young man would be among the first US casualties of World War II. Welcome home, son.
Seaman First Class John Albert Karli is finally coming home:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78244027/john-albert-karli
Salute.
Addition: “…West Walnut street in Pasadena, California…”
Pearl Harbor Broadcast. “This is no joke.”
bhttp://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5167
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5167
Welcome home Brothers. Rest in peace in your home soil. God be with your families.
In 2015, the Washington Post provided a thorough story of remains exhumed from the Punchbowl Cemetary in Hawaii to include those of BugleMaster Second Class Lionel W. Lescault:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/after-74-years-bones-from-pearl-harbor-tomb-ship-may-be-identified/2015/12/06/60263b86-8ee7-11e5-acff-673ae92ddd2b_story.html?utm_term=.deb3ef60abfa&noredirect=on
From the article:
“The goal is to send the men home.
“It’s important for the families,” said Carrie A. Brown, an anthropologist with the newly created Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), which is doing the work.
“For a lot of people, it’s an event that happened in their family history,” she said, and that story “has been carried down sometimes [for] generations.”
A lot of people say: ‘World War II. Who’s even alive? Who even remembers?’ ” she said. “We need to get these guys home. They’ve been not home for too long.”
Lionel Wilfred Lescault was only 29 years old when he left us on 7 December 1941.
He is finally coming home.
Salute.
Following 2/17 Cav’s lead.
Seaman Second Class Charles Clay Gomez, Jr. was born to Charles Clay, SR and Katherine “Katie” Gomez on 3 June 1922 in Slidell St Tammany Parish, Louisiana.
There are two nice pictures of him in uniform on these sites:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77459870/charle-gomez
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56131616/charle-gomez
Charles had four siblings, Anthony, Henry, Catherine and Carmelita.
He was an 18 year old teenager when he lost his life on 7 December 1941.
He is coming home.
Bring them all home.
Salute.
Welcome Home.
Again AP, 26Lb, 2/17 AC, many thanks for the additional links. Takes me awhile to come back and go thru all of them, but I get to it. Life does get in the way but rest assured, I’m not wasting time watching the national felon network. Lots of times I link up to check the pertinent story, then get to poking around chasing other rabbits on the site, Miss Thang hollars that I’m pregnoring her, dogs wants to go out, kats get antsy, need another cold beer, crock pot whistles ect on & on adnausem. Keep up the good work, it is muchly appreciated and shared with others like us. jc nsnr