Another Five Return
DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US personnel.
From World War II
Bkr2c David L. Kelser, 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 23 January 2019.
SGT John Kalausich, US Army, assigned to 642nd Bombardment Squadron, 409th Bombardment Group, 9th Bombardment Division, 9th Air Force, US Army Air Forces, was lost in Germany on 21 March 1945. He was accounted for on 14 December 2018. (see note)
From Korea
PVT Winfred L. Reynolds, US Army, assigned to Medical Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, was lost in South Korea on 26 April 1951. He was accounted for on 23 January 2019.
From Southeast Asia
Mr. Roy F. Townley, civilian employee of Air America, was lost in Laos on 27 December 1971. He was accounted for on 20 December 2018. (see note)
Mr. Edward J. Weissenback, civilian employee of Air America, was lost in Laos on 27 December 1971. He was accounted for on 20 December 2018. (see note)
Welcome back, elder brothers-in-arms. Our apologies that your return took so long.
You’re home now. Rest easy.
. . .
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. 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 is found in one of the 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.
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Author’s Note: SGT Kalausich, Mr. Townley, and Mr. Weissenback were accounted for last December. However, for whatever reason DPAA did not post that fact to their “Recently Accounted For” listing until sometime this month.
Category: No Longer Missing
The lies continue. I have no doubt that Townley and Weissenback were quite alive and prisoners in Laos after their Air America C-123 Provider went down. There is much material on the ops of Air America and Townley available. Both Townley and Wessenback ‘were’ Veterans, the latter Army and the former Air Force. How you see their role and the role of Air America is how you see it.
The dates appear to coincide with the siege of Long Chieng a few days later.
Things were really hot around that time.
No adequate words.
https://www.pownetwork.org/bios/t/t601.htm
Just read a bit more. Not near my guess.
Location was in the Thai border area.
http://www.taskforceomegainc.org/t601.html
I’d suggest viewing that 20+ year old info in the link GDContractor provided with a bit of skepticism. Significant progress has apparently been made in Laos since 1998, and according to current DPAA figures some of the numbers in that older info may well be misleading.
Here’s what DPAA had to say regarding the current status RE: MIAs in Laos last June.
https://www.dpaa.mil/Resources/Fact-Sheets/Article-View/Article/569617/progress-in-laos/
This comment isn’t a slam at POWNetwork. But much new info – and many repatriations – have been obtained in Laos during the last 20 years.
FWIW: based on what’s known, I strongly suspect the two were captured alive (along with the third American on that mission, George Ritter, who DPAA accounted for in Oct 2018). And I strongly suspect all three died in captivity sometime afterwards. When and how? Unfortunately, I suspect we may never know.
In April 1940, when the census was taken, Winfred L. Reynolds was the youngest of six children born to the union of John and Myrtle Renolds. The then-nine year old boy lived with his family in High Point, Guilford county, North Carolina. Both of Winfred’s parents worked, Mom as a seamstress in a hosiery mill and Dad for Franklin Motor Line. Winfred was a medic who was killed outright in an attack on 26 April 1950. The area in which he Fell changed hands several times and his remains could not be immediately recovered. Forever 20. He is home now.
” … Mom as a seamstress in a hosiery mill …”
Could be Hanes Hosiery. They were very prominent in that area of NC for decades. My mom worked there doing all manner of things. Mills were commonplace in the region, though, so it could have been another company. The day she turned 18, though, she went to work for Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston Salem.
Thanks for the back history on these Warriors and for putting a face to them. Their sacrifices were not in vain.
The link below will take you to a very thorough account regarding 19-year-old gunner Sergeant John Kalausich of West Virginia. A chance mention of a crash and the fine work of History Flight, Inc. are described, as well as some background information on John. A memorial service will be held next month on the 23rd in Charleston, West Virginia. Welcome home, son.
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/kanawha_county/remains-of-missing-kanawha-airman-identified-nearly-years-after-wwii/article_97fb9caa-a95f-51d6-b4dd-9d20271523f9.html
The Kelser family is difficult to track through census records. However, it appears from multiple sources that David L. Kelser was married and in his early 20s when he was killed at Pearl Harbor. It also appears certain that a brother of his, Gerald Kelser, perhaps honoring David, enlisted in the Navy and was also a baker aboard ship. Gerald was killed in action aboard the USS Northampton when it was struck by torpedoes during a US Navy night attack against the Japanese. Two brothers. Such sacrifice.
Welcome Home Warriors. May we never stop looking till all of you are accounted for.
“The lies continue”…”No adequate words”…”Just read a bit more”…God Bless each and everyone of you Gentlemen for the fine work you do in bringing these stories to us. The number of comments on this thread in no way reflect the numbers of the followers we have pouring over these posts….Each of these warriors, but for His Grace, could be any one of us. The ages, the backgrounds, the positions we held during our military service are mirrored here. Too bad this Sunday Morning posting is not required reading for every school history class, with a gradable report due on Monday.
The stories of the MIA/POW troops are especially heart rendering. I still remember a number of my Basic and AIT DSs emphasizing that we did not want to be captured. The whole proverbial save the last bullet for yourself. I would doubt very seriously if any of our POWs are still alive. I do not doubt that we had a number of MIAs that were in fact POW and died in captivity many years after their capture, forgotten and abandoned by the government that sent them there.
Keep up the good work!
^^Ditto^^
It is entirely, and regrettably, possible. John McCain was the driving force behind stopping any investigation of that, and normalizing relations with the Communist Vietnamese, and letting bygones be bygones, so we didn’t follow it up. Of note, The North Vietnamese didn’t release the last French Indochina War prisoners until by mistake they gave them back with ours. 1954 to 1973 held with no word about it.
Welcome home Brothers. Rest in peace in your home soil now. God be with your families.
Welcome home.
Welcome Home.
Now, in the right thread, I can say,
“But for the grace of God, go I”.
Sorry for you atheists and agnostics.
Waiting for incoming…
(seems I’m always waiting for incoming…)
No problem with that. We all signed on the dotted, and that is why we are here.
Peace to all.
(except for those who lie about their service. Fuck ’em)
Peace to those who have awaited a long ride home.
Welcome home, brothers. Rest in peace.