Another Eight Are Accounted For

DPAA has apparently not been updating its “Recently Accounted For” list for the past 2 weeks. However, per recent press releases the following individuals have been announced as having been accounted for during that same period.

From World War II

MM1c Paul H. Gebser, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1944. His accounting was announced on 25 February 2020.

F1c Leo T. Keninger, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1944. His accounting was announced on 27 February 2020.

F1c Dan E. Reagan, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1944. His accounting was announced on 2 March 2020.

F1c Andrew J. Schmitz, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1944. His accounting was announced on 27 February 2020.

F1c James C. Webb, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1944. His accounting was announced on 24 February 2020.

S1c Everett G. Windle, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1944. His accounting was announced on 24 February 2020.

PVT James J. Cansler, US Army, assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, was lost in the Hurtgen Forest, Germany, on 17 December 1944. His accounting was announced on 3 March 2020.

From Korea

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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. His accounting was announced on 25 February 2020.

From Southeast Asia

None

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 7,500 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.

Category: No Longer Missing