POW/MIA, Identified Heros Returning Home

From 1996-1999 I was a Team Leader and Mission Commander for six mission to Vietnam, one to Laos and in 1998 all five mission into North Korea. Our mission was to recover the remains of American Service Members who were Missing In Action.

From my missions two American on the Vietnam Wall have been identified and returned to their families. Of the 22 possible sets of remains from North Korea seven have been identified and returned to their families.

This mission is close to my heart. I will use this thread to update identifications as I become aware of it. This way the Mountain Folk can know of these Hero’s as they make the final journey home and to Rest in Peace in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.



This post has been edited by VMI84 on Nov 19 2008, 01:06 AM

SGT Gene F. Clark US Army Muncie Ind. Welcome Home

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/news/2008/Clark.pdf

LT. Cmdr. Ralph C. Bisz U.S. Navy Miami Shores, FL.

Welcome Home Sailor

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/news/2008/Bisz_final.pdf

This is great that some of our missing military can be located, identified and brought home to family so they can honor them with a family burial and knowledge of what happened to them. I'm sure those families will feel better as closure to their family member has been accomplished.

SFC W.T. Akins U.S. Army Decatur Ga.

Welcome Home Soldier

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/news/2008/Akins.pdf

Sgt. Edward "Jim" O'Brien US Army, Former Sailor.

Welcome Home Soldier. May you Rest in Peace.


http://www.twincities.com/ci_9769071


On a personal note I remember this case. After we recovered SGT O’Brien’s remains we would still drive past the location were we recovered these remains as we other remains. We often called the location O’Brien’s Place. We also though that when we found his Navy Discharge papers that more than once he must have wonder why he left the Navy for the Army.

Rest in Peace my Friend and God Bless you.

Cpl. Steven Lucas, U.S. Army, of Johnson City, N.Y

Welcome Home Soldier

Korean War Soldier Returns Home

May God Bless You

You Were Not Forgotten

Welcome Home Soldier!!! God bless you and yours!!!

VMI, thanks for this thread, it's one that is much appreciated!

Army Sgt. Alex Jimenez, of Lawrence, Mass and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, of Waterford, Mich

Welcome Home Soldiers.

May God Bless You

While you were missing we did not forget.



http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,380322,00.html

Sgt. John H. White, U.S. Army, of Long Island, Ala. He will be buried on Saturday in Bryant, Ala.


Soldier Missing In Action From the Korean War Is Identified

And he will be escorted by Patriot Guard Riders.

The remains of an Alabama serviceman missing in action from the Korean War have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors, the Defense Department announced today.

Army Sgt. John H. White of the Long Island community in Jackson County, will be buried on Saturday in nearby Bryant.

According to the Pentagon, "In November 1950, White was a member of H Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division then occupying a defensive position near Unsan, North Korea, north of a bend in the Kuryong River known as the Camel's Head. On Nov. 1, elements of two Chinese Communist divisions struck the 1st Cavalry Division's lines, collapsing the perimeter and forcing a withdrawal. White was reported missing on Nov. 2, 1950, and was one of the more than 350 servicemen unaccounted-for from the battle at Unsan.

"In April 2007, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.), acting through the intermediary of New Mexico Governor. Bill Richardson and former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi, repatriated to the United States six boxes of human remains believed to be those of U.S. soldiers. One box also included two military identification tags with White's name on them. The D.P.R.K. reported that the remains were excavated in November 2006 near Unsan in North Pyongan Province."

Scientists, using DNA and dental records, identified the remains with the ID tags as those of White.

Vietnam soldiers identified

Welcome home Soldiers ... God bless you and yours.

Chief Warrant Officer Bobby L. McKain, of Garden City, Kan.; and Warrant Officer Arthur F. Chaney, of Vienna, Va., both U.S. Army.

Welcome Home Soldiers


Link 1


Link 2

Please excuse the double post. I did not see that bsb006 had already posted it. But either way we cannot show our appreciation for their sacrifices enough.

Korean War Soldier Returns Home.

Master Sergeant Cirildo Valencio US Army Carizzo Springs Texas


http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/news/2008/Letterhead_Valencio.pdf


Welcome Home Soldier

May God Bless You and Keep you in his arms.

Vietnam War Sailor Comes Home


Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Manuel R. Denton of Kerrville, Texas

Welcome Home Sailor

You were not and are not Forgotten

May God Bless you and take you in his arms.

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/news/2008/Denton.pdf

http://web.dailytimes.com/story.lasso?ewcd=085f4f56deac4403

Welcome home brother ... thank you for your service and may God bless you and yours.

Welcome home, hero


Missing WWII Pilot Is Identified


The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is 2nd Lt. Howard C. Enoch Jr., U.S. Army Air Forces, of Marion, Ky. He will be buried on Sep. 22 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

Representatives from the Army met with Enoch’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

On March 19, 1945, Enoch was the pilot of a P-51D Mustang that crashed while engaging enemy aircraft about 20 miles east of Leipzig, near the village of Doberschütz, Germany. His remains were not recovered at the time, and Soviet occupation of eastern Germany precluded his recovery immediately after the war.

In 2004, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) surveyed a possible P-51 crash site near Doberschütz. The team found aircraft wreckage. In 2006, another JPAC team excavated the site and recovered human remains and aircraft wreckage.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of Enoch’s remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1420.

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/releas...releaseid=12140

Welcome Home Brother, Rest in Peace!!!

Welcome home and may God Bless you. You were not and are not forgotten

VMI84,

Thank you for starting this thread.

And for ALL THAT YOU DO!

God Bless each and every one of these Soldiers and their Families, as they can finally let their loved one rest in peace.

And for all those that still have loved ones POW/MIA, may God find their hero and bring them home to them.

Somehow, welcome home doesn't convey all that we owe to you and your family.

I wish that we could do more.

Welcome Home, Sir.

I received this thru PGR

Although he was not a POW or MIA, I would highly consider his return home to his final resting place to be of the highest commendation!

This brings chills to your spine and I'm sure it places the minds of his family to rest knowing he will finally be home after over 65 years.

May his soul rest in the peace of our Father Kingdom.

Some more about the hero above and two fellow servicemen

Welcome home!! May God rest their souls.

Welcome home Sailors. To see this news is the best Birthday present I could ask for.

CW

Technically Boxrucker was a MIA. As an example all the sailors sunk on American Subs are considered MIA's even when we know the location of the wreck. As a result, he and his comrades, while we know there are many buried as unknown we acknowledge they are our hero’s we do not know who they are. When they went to do a job and the remains recovered were unidentifiable at the time they are still listed as Missing.

That being the case it was more than fitting and honorable for you to acknowledge the sacrifices of these brave men and their final journey home.

May they rest in peace.

Missing WWII Soldier Is Identified


The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is Pvt. James W. Turner, U.S. Army, of Altus, Okla. He will be buried on Sept. 11 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

Representatives from the Army met with Turner’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

In November 1944, the 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division was attacking east through the Hürtgen Forest in an attempt to capture the German towns of Vossenack and Schmidt. On Nov. 4, the Germans counterattacked in what would become one of the longest running battles in U.S. history. Turner, a member of G Company, 112th Infantry Regiment, was reported missing in action near Vossenack on Nov. 9.

In 2005, a German citizen who was searching for wartime relics in the Hürtgen Forest, near Vossenack, found human remains and other items, including Turner’s military identification tag. The remains and items were turned over to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) for further analysis.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Turner’s remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

The United States does everything it can to account for prisoners of war (POW) and missing in action (MIA) servicemembers that have served in the United States military. More than 88,000 servicemembers, from World War II to the Iraq War, remain missing. Families of the missing suffer from "not knowing." It is emotionally difficult and painful, and many POW/MIA families have had to endure such suffering for decades. Two organizations are responsible to help account for those that have not returned to their families:

*The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) is a task force whose mission is to account for all U.S. POW and MIA servicemembers from all past wars. Their specialists conduct field investigations and analyze wartime records and archives in support of their mission. They recover and identify remains of missing servicemembers.

*The Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) provides centralized management of POW/MIA personnel affairs. It is responsible for the oversight of policies on U.S. servicemembers who are isolated, captured, detained or otherwise missing in a hostile environment. They help JPAC investigate and organize recovery missions. They also act as a contact point with POW/MIA families.

POW/MIA Recognition Day honors the commitments and the sacrifices made by prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action. It is one of the six days (the others are Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day) specified by law on which the black POW/MIA flag shall be flown over federal facilities and cemeteries, post offices and military installations. In 2008, POW/MIA Recognition Day is held on Friday, September 19.

usa.gov link

Soldier Missing From The Vietnam War Is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is Sgt. Timothy J. Jacobsen, U.S. Army, of Oakland, Calif. He will be buried on Oct. 4 in Ferndale, Calif.

Representatives from the Army met with Jacobsen’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

On May 16, 1971, Jacobsen was one of four U.S. soldiers and an unknown number of Republic of Vietnam (R.V.N.) Marines who were aboard a UH-1H Iroquois helicopter. The crew was on a combat assault mission near Hue, South Vietnam when they came under heavy enemy ground fire as their aircraft touched down at the landing zone. The pilot tried to lift off, but the damaged aircraft struck a tree line and exploded. A few days later, a search and rescue team recovered the remains of some of the Vietnamese Marines, but there were remains still trapped under the helicopter wreckage. No remains for the U.S. soldiers were recovered.

In 1994, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident. The team surveyed the crash site and found wreckage consistent with a UH-1. The next year, another joint team excavated the site and recovered human remains, but they were not those of the U.S. soldiers.

In 2002, a joint team traveled to Hue and interviewed two Vietnamese citizens who showed the team two re-burial sites associated with this incident. In 2006, another team excavated the two sites and recovered human remains from one of them.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Jacobsen’s remains, which were recovered in 2006. The other U.S. soldiers associated with this incident are still unaccounted-for.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

Welcome Home. May God Bless you.

Air Force Pilots Missing in Vietnam Identified.

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/news/2008/Cross_Reese.pdf


CPT James E. Cross and CPT Gomer D. Reese III welcome home.

Welcome home! May God Bless these brave men and their families.

Pilot Missing In Action From The Vietnam War Is Identified


The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is Col. David H. Zook, Jr., U.S. Air Force, of West Liberty, Ohio. He will be buried Oct. 4 in West Liberty.

On Oct. 4, 1967, Zook was on a psychological warfare operation over Song Be Province, South Vietnam, when his U-10B Super Courier aircraft collided in mid-air with a C-7A Caribou. The C-7 pilot said he saw the other aircraft hit the ground and explode. Several search and rescue attempts failed to locate Zook’s remains.

In 1992, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident in Song Be Province. The team interviewed Vietnamese citizens who witnessed the crash and saw remains amid the wreckage. The team surveyed the site and found evidence consistent with Zook’s crash. While later examining the evidence recovered from the site, a small fragment of bone was found.

In 1993, another joint team excavated the crash site and recovered a bone fragment and non-biological material including small pieces of military clothing. In March 2008, a final excavation was conducted and more human remains were recovered.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and also used dental comparisons in the identification of Zook’s remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.


Welcome home!!

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/releas...releaseid=12248

Soldier Missing In Action From WWII Is Identified



The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is 2nd Lt. Ernest E. Martin, U.S. Army, of Hanover, Mont. He will be buried on Oct. 11 in Ellensburg, Wash.

Representatives from the Army met with Martin’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of Secretary of the Army.

In November 1944, the 109th and 112th Infantry Regiments, 28th Infantry Division, were attacking east through the Hürtgen Forest in an attempt to capture the German towns of Vossenack and Schmidt. On Nov. 4, the Germans counterattacked in what would become one of the longest running battles in U.S. history. Martin, a member of C Company, 109th Infantry Regiment, was reported missing in action near Vossenack on Nov. 10.

In 2000, a German construction company found human remains in an unmarked grave while clearing wartime unexploded ordnance from the Hürtgen Forest. The remains, along with military rank and branch insignia were turned over to U.S. officials.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of Martin’s remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo
or call (703) 699-1169.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/releas...releaseid=12256



Welcome home, 2nd Lt. Ernest E. Martin

Welcome home Col Zook & LT Martin. Glad to have you back in America!!! God bless you and yours ... !!!

Due to recent computer problems this posting was lost. I am reposting it as CPT Conner will not be forgotten. Not on the Mountain.


CPT Lorenza Conner; United States Air Force Cartersville, GA.

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/news/2008/Conner.pdf


Welcome home and may God Bless You and keep you within his arms.

Welcome back home to a fallen patriot CPT Lorenza Conner.

May you rest in peace on your home land, CPT Conner.

Airman Missing In Action From WWII Is Identified


The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is 2nd Lt. Ray D. Packard, U.S. Army Air Forces, of Atwood, Calif. He will be buried on Oct. 22 in Prescott, Ariz.

Representatives from the Army met with Packard’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

On Aug. 25, 1944, Packard was a pilot in a flight of 22 P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft that left the allied airfield at St. Lambert, France, to attack enemy airfields near Laon-Chambry, France. Enroute to their target, the fighter group was intercepted by more than 80 German fighters near Beauvais, France. During the ensuing dogfight, 11 P-38s were shot down, including Packard’s which crashed 15 miles south of Beauvais near the town of Angy. Five of the pilots escaped and evaded enemy capture and two were taken as prisoners of war. Of the four men who were missing in action, three were later recovered and identified, but Packard remained unaccounted-for.

In 1951, a U.S. Army Graves Registration Command team investigated the incident and interviewed a French citizen who said he recovered human remains from a P-38 crash site in Angy. The team also interviewed the mayor of Angy who said that the remains had been buried in a local cemetery, but had later been exhumed and he didn’t know what happened after the disinterment. The team went to the crash site, but only found small pieces of aircraft wreckage.

In 2006, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) team traveled to Angy to investigate the incident. The team interviewed the son of the French citizen interviewed in 1951. He turned over to the team human remains and other non-biological evidence recovered from the crash site. The team interviewed another French citizen, an aircraft wreckage hunter, who turned over remains and other evidence from an excavation that he conducted at the site.

In 2006 and 2007, JPAC teams conducted two excavations and recovered more human remains, aircraft wreckage, and material evidence including Packard’s identification tag.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC used dental comparisons in the identification of Packard’s remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169. http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/releas...releaseid=12299


****************

I certainly do not understand why the Frenchman of 1951 would keep this airman's body and things in secret. Very Sad. The family could've buried their loved one a long time ago. I am glad his son was honorable.

Welcome home, 2nd Lt. Ray D. Packard. Prayers and thanks to you and your family.

Welcome home LT!!! God Bless!!!