Another Five Return

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

From World War II

S2c D. T. Kyser, 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 24 September 2019.

1st Lt Justin G. Mills, USMC Reserve, assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, was lost on Tarawa on 20 November 1943. He was accounted for on 27 September 2019.

From Korea

SGT David C. Sewell, US Army, assigned to M Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, was lost in North Korea on 28 November 1950. He was accounted for on 24 September 2019.

CPL Jerome V. Hummel , US Army, assigned to Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, was lost in North Korea on 30 November 1950. He was accounted for on 24 September 2019. (see note)

CPL Kenneth E. Ford, US Army, assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, was lost in North Korea on 2 December 1950. He was accounted for on 23 September 2019.

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. 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: The rank listed by DPAA for CPL Hummel in their “Recently Accounted For” page listing is incorrect (most likely due to a one-character typographical error). The correct rank is listed above and was obtained from this DPAA press release.

Category: No Longer Missing