Another Three Return

DPAA appears to have resumed updating its “Recently Accounted For” webpage. Per that source, the following individuals have been announced by DPAA as having been accounted for during the past week.

From World War II

PVT Wayne M. Evans, US Army, assigned to G Battery, 59th Coast Artillery Regiment, was lost at Cabanatuan, Philippines, on 19 July 1942. His accounting was announced on 6 April 2020.

Sgt Donald D. Stoddard, USMC, assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, was lost on Tarawa on 22 November 1943. His accounting was announced on 6 April 2020.

From Korea

SGT Billy V. Rodgers, US Army, assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, was lost in North Korea on 2 December 1950. His accounting was announced on 10 April 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