Another Six Return

DPAA has apparently paused updating its “Recently Accounted For” webpage again. However, per recent press releases the following individuals have been announced by DPAA as having been accounted for during the past 2 weeks.

From World War II

FM3c Herbert B. Jacobson, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. His accounting was announced on 17 March 2020.

S1c Orval A. Tranbarger, assigned to the crew of the USS Oklahoma, was lost at Pearl Harbor, HI, on 7 December 1941. His accounting was announced on 18 March 2020.

Sgt Jerome B. Morris, USMC, assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, was lost on Beito Island, Tarawa Atoll, on 22 November 1943. His accounting was announced on 16 March 2020.

2nd Lt. George M. Johnson, US Army, assigned to 38th Bombardment Squadron, 30th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces, was lost at Tarawa Lagoon, Tarawa Atoll, on 21 January 1944. His accounting was announced on 18 March 2020.

1st Lt. Ernest L. Roth, US Army, assigned to 359th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, US Army Air Forces, was lost in Berlin, Germany, on 19 May 1944. His accounting was announced on 19 March 2020.

PVT Ballard McCurley, US Army, assigned to M Company, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, was lost in the Hurtgen Forest, Germany, on 29 November 1944. His accounting was announced on 12 March 2020.

From Korea

None

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.

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Author’s Note: DPAA’s press release concerning 1st Lt. Ross specifies a date of loss of “19 May”, but does not specify the year. Other sources indicate the date of loss to be 19 May 1944.

Category: No Longer Missing