MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced the identification of remains of one American who had been missing in action from Vietnam. Returning home for burial with full military honors is:
-- Marine Corps Reserve 1st Lt. William C. Ryan, Jr., 25, of Hoboken, New Jersey, will be buried May 10 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. Ryan was an F-4B radar intercept officer, assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Force 115, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force Pacific. Ryan was on a bombing mission over Savannakhet Province, Laos, when his aircraft was hit by enemy fire. Ryan was unresponsive after the attack and the pilot lost control of the aircraft and was forced to eject. The crash site location prevented a recovery search and Ryan was declared deceased as of May 11, 1969.

February 3,2017

MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced the identification of remains of two Americans who had been missing in action from Korea. Returning home for burial with full military honors are:

January 6 at 2:33pm

MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced the identification of remains of 21 Americans who had been missing in action from World War II and Korea. Returning home for burial with full military honors are: -- Navy Water Tender 1st Class Walter H. Sollie, 37, of Myrtlewood, Ala., will be buried Jan. 6, 2017, in Pensacola, Fla. Sollie was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Sollie was one of 429 crewmen killed in the attack. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-acc…/. -- Army Maj. Jack D. Griffiths, 31, of San Diego, will be buried Jan. 11, 2017, in San Diego. On Nov. 30, 1950, Griffiths was a member of Headquarters, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, when he was reported missing in action in the vicinity of Somin-dong, North Korea. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-acco…/. -- Mr. John D. Armstrong, a former U.S. Navy Reservist, was training with the Flying Tigers at Kyedaw Airfield, a British Royal Air Force airfield outside of Toungoo, Burma, in 1941. Armstrong was killed in a midair collision during a training flight on Sept. 8, 1941. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/american-missing-from-world-war-ii-a…/. -- Mr. Maxx C. Hammer, Jr., was among a small group of American pilots training with the Flying Tigers to battle Japanese forces invading China in 1941. Hammer was killed during a training mission on Sep. 22, 1941, when his plane crashed near Toungoo, Burma, after a heavy rainstorm. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/american-missing-from-world-war-ii-a…/. -- Mr. Peter Atkinson, a former U.S. Army Air Corps Reservist, was among a small group of American pilots training with the Flying Tigers at Kyedaw Airfield, outside of Toungoo, Burma, in 1941. In preparation for battling Japanese forces invading China, the pilots engaged their Curtiss P-40 single-seat aircraft in aggressive training and mock battles. On Oct. 25, 1941, Atkinson’s plane disintegrated while participating in one of these training flights. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/american-missing-from-world-war-ii-i…/. -- Navy Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Cecil E. Barncord, of Kansas, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Barncord was one of 429 crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-ide…/. -- Navy Radioman 3rd Class Howard W. Bean, of Massachusetts, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Bean was one of 429 crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-ide…/. -- Navy Mess Attendant 1st Class Ralph M. Boudreaux, of Louisiana, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Boudreaux was one of 429 crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-ide…/. -- Navy Fireman 3rd Class Glaydon I.C. Iverson, of Minnesota, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Iverson was one of 429 crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-ide…/. -- Navy Coxswain Verne F. Knipp, of Colorado, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Knipp was one of 429 crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-ide…/. -- Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Donald R. McCloud, of West Virginia, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. McCloud was one of 429 crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-ide…/. -- Navy Seaman 1st Class Camillus M. O'Grady, of Kansas, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. O’Grady was one of 429 crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-ide…/. -- Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Francis J. Pitonyak, of Pennsylvania, disappeared while leading a four-ship of fighter aircraft on an armed patrol mission. Enroute to Nadzab, Territory of Papua, the pilots encountered inclement weather, causing one pilot to return to base, where he reported his fellow pilots, including Pitonyak, missing. After an unsuccessful aerial search the following day, Pitonyak was declared deceased on Oct. 28, 1943. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/airman-missing-from-world-war-ii-ide…/. -- Army Pvt. Gene J. Appleby, of Ohio, was a member of Company A, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. On Sep. 17, 1944, Appleby parachuted onto a drop zone north of Groesbeek, the Netherlands, as part of Operation Market-Garden. As the soldiers rallied, Appleby was reportedly struck by enemy fire and, following the attack, was listed as missing in action. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/soldier-missing-from-world-war-ii-id…/. -- Army Cpl. Luis P. Torres, of Waushura, Wis., was stationed with Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division along the east bank of the Naktong River, near Changyong, South Korea. On Sept. 1, 1950, his battalion’s position was overrun by enemy forces. Torres was reported missing after the battle. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-iden…/. -- Army Pfc. Thomas C. Stagg, of Jefferson, Ala., was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment. On Nov. 29, 1950, Stagg was on a reconnaissance patrol near Hajoyang-ni, North Korea, when it was ambushed. Following the battle, Stagg could not be accounted for and he was declared killed in action. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-iden…/. -- Army Pfc. Charles C. Follese, of Koochiching, Minn., was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment. On Nov. 30, 1950, Follese was part of a patrol sent to recover casualties near Hajoyang-ni, North Korea, when his patrol was ambushed. Follese could not be accounted for after the ambush and was declared killed in action. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-iden…/. -- Army Sgt. 1st Class Eugene J. Colley, of New Hanover, N.C., was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. In late November 1950, his unit was assembled with South Korean soldiers into the 31st Regimental Combat Team on the east side of the Chosin River, North Korea, when his unit was attacked by Chinese forces. Colley was among 1,300 members of the RCT killed or captured in enemy territory and was declared missing on Dec. 2, 1950. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-iden…/. -- Army Sgt. Thomas E. Zimmer, of Milwaukee, Wis., was stationed with Battery A, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, on the east side of the Chosin River, North Korea, when his unit was attacked by Chinese Forces. After heavy fighting his unit was forced to withdraw to Hagaru-ri. Zimmer was unaccounted for after the battle and was reported missing as of Dec. 6, 1950. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-iden…/. -- Army Sgt. Edward Saunders, of Baltimore City, Md., was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On the night of Feb. 11, 1951, Saunders’ company was supporting a planned offensive with the Republic of Korea’s 16th Regiment when they were attacked by Chinese forces. After heavy fighting, the unit was forced to withdraw to Hoensong, South Korea. Saunders could not be accounted for after the battle. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-iden…/. -- Army Cpl. Joseph N. Pelletier, of Coos County, N.H., was assigned to Headquarters Battery, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, near the Central Corridor in South Korea. While supporting Korean-led attacks on Chinese forces, they were caught in a massive Chinese counterattack on Feb. 11, 1951. Pelletier was declared missing on Feb. 13, 1951. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/…/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-iden…/.

News Releases

USS Oklahoma Sailor From World War II Accounted For (Phipps)

16-086 | October 11, 2016

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman from World War II have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Navy Seaman 2nd Class James N. Phipps, 24, of Rainier, Oregon, will be buried Oct. 17 in Portland, Oregon. On Dec. 7, 1941, Phipps was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Phipps. No single vessel at Pearl Harbor, with the exception of the USS Arizona, suffered as many fatalities.

From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.

In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Phipps.

In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for analysis.

To identify Phipps’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched a nephew, a niece and a grand-nephew; as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons, which matched Phipps’ records.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420.

POW MIA News 24 August, 2007 After 63 Years, Airman's Remains Come Home By News 8 WMTW RUMFORD, Maine -- An Army airman, killed more than 60 years ago during World War II, finally has been laid to rest in his hometown of Rumford. Second Lt. Al Bujolds B-17 bomber was shot down over New Guinea in 1943, but it wasnt until five years ago that DNA technology allowed the Army to identify his remains, which were part of a mass grave in St. Louis. 24 August, 2007 World War II Sub Found By Adrienne LaFrance BOSTON, Mass. - August 24, 2007 - Bruce, Brad, and John Abele of Newton, Mass., have spent more than 60 years wondering what happened to the submarine their father commanded during World War II. The USS Grunion, the sub on which Lt. Cmdr. Mannert Abele's crew of 70 disappeared in July 1942, was found in the Bering Sea after a far-reaching search by his sons. Despite an extensive search of Japanese and American records after the war, nothing revealed what may have happened to the submarine, let alone where it ended up. "It has been on the books as missing, not missing in action but missing, for 65 years," said 78-year-old Bruce Abele, the eldest of the three brothers. 21 August, 2007 Frozen remains of WWII airman found in Kings Canyon National Park Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer The frozen remains of a missing World War II airman have been discovered on a remote glacier in Kings Canyon National Park, not far from the spot where the body of his apparent crewmate was discovered in 2005, it was announced Monday. A hiker discovered the remains on Wednesday at 12,300 feet near Mount Darwin in the park. The remains, which were accompanied by a World War II-era uniform and parachute, were being taken Monday to the Fresno County coroner's office. Because of the low temperature at the recovery site on the Mendel Glacier, the remains included skin, hair and soft tissue, according to Army Maj. Brian DeSantis of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Hawaii. The command will work to identify the body once the coroner releases it to the military. "This body was found 100 feet from where the last one was found," DeSantis said. "We're hopeful it's from the same incident." On Oct. 16, 2005, an ice climber found the body of a man later identified as Leo Mustonen, 22, one of four fliers aboard an Army Air Corps AT-7 plane that took off from Mather Air Force Base on Nov. 18, 1942, on a training flight and was never heard from again. The plane was believed to have crashed in a blizzard. After Mustonen's body was found, searchers scoured the area, looking for other remains, but were hampered by the thick snowpack. This summer, however, the snowpack at the site was about one-third of normal, DeSantis said Missing WWII Sailor is Identified 20 July, 2007 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 returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Fireman 3rd Class Alfred E. Livingston, U.S. Navy, of Worthington, Ind.He will be buried on Saturday in Worthington. On Dec. 7, 1941, Livingston was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma when it was attacked by Japanese torpedo aircraft and capsized in Pearl Harbor.The ship sustained massive casualties.Livingston was one of hundreds declared killed in action whose body was not recovered.In the aftermath of the attack, some remains were recovered from the waters of Pearl Harbor.One set of sailor's remains was recovered and thought to be associated with the USS Arizona losses.However, when efforts to identify the sailor failed, it was inconclusive what ship he was assigned to and he was buried as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as The Punchbowl. Missing WWII Sailor is Identified 20 July, 2007 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 returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Fireman 3rd Class Alfred E. Livingston, U.S. Navy, of Worthington , Ind.He will be buried on Saturday in Worthington . On Dec. 7, 1941, Livingston was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma when it was attacked by Japanese torpedo aircraft and capsized in Pearl Harbor.The ship sustained massive casualties.Livingston was one of hundreds declared killed in action whose body was not recovered.In the aftermath of the attack, some remains were recovered from the waters of Pearl Harbor.One set of sailor's remains was recovered and thought to be associated with the USS Arizona losses.However, when efforts to identify the sailor failed, it was inconclusive what ship he was assigned to and he was buried as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as The Punchbowl. Marine Missing In Action From Korean War Is Identified July 10, 2007 The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Pfc. Domenico S. Di Salvo, U.S. Marine Corps, of Akron, Ohio. He will be buried July 12 in Seville, Ohio. In late November 1950, Di Salvo was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment, of the 1st Marine Division then deployed near Yudam-ni on the western side of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. On Nov. 27, three Communist Chinese Divisions launched an attack on the Marine positions. Over the next several days, U.S. forces staged a fighting withdrawal to the south. Di Salvo was lost on Dec. 2, 1950, as a result of enemy action near Yudam-ni. He was among several in his company buried by fellow Marines in a temporary grave near the battlefield. U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 860-07 July 10, 2007 Marine Missing In Action From Korean War Is Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Ê He is Pfc. Domenico S. Di Salvo, U.S. Marine Corps, of Akron, Ohio.ÊHe will be buried July 12 in Seville, Ohio . In late November 1950, Di Salvo was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment, of the 1st Marine Division then deployed near Yudam-ni on the western side of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea . On Nov. 27, three Communist Chinese Divisions launched an attack on the Marine positions. Over the next several days, U.S. forces staged a fighting withdrawal to the south. Di Salvo was lost on Dec. 2, 1950, as a result of enemy action near Yudam-ni. He was among several in his company buried by fellow Marines in a temporary grave near the battlefield. 27 June, 2007 The Remains of a Vietnam Veteran are Returned Home The remains of Vietnam Veteran Ben Danielson, who had been considered missing in action since 1969, have been recovered and returned to his family. Fellow Vietnam Vet Jim Corcoran, now with the Brighton Fire Department, traveled to Minnesota to attend a memorial for Danielson that was held on Father's Day. Captain Benjamin Danielson, an Air Force Pilot, was shot down on December 5, 1969, along with his weapon's officer, Lieutenant Woody Bergeron.Ê Staff Sergent Jim Corcoran was a crewman on one of the many rescue choppers that were sent out to retrieve them. By the time Bergeron was successfully recovered, several days later, that mission had become the largest rescue effort of the war. When Danielson and Bergeron ejected from their F-4 Phantom jet, they were both equipped with survival kits that included a radio and a pistol. They remained in radio contact, despite landing on opposite sides of a river. The Air force has always assumed that Danielson was killed, because Bergeron reported hearing gunfire on the other side of the river, just as Danielson's radio went dead.Ê However, until recently, no remains had ever been recovered. Punchbowl Unknown ID'd 15 June, 2007 War victim's family calls hometown burial bittersweet experience By Timberly Ferree, staff writer Family of fallen WWII soldier Alfred Eugene Livingston, a former Worthington resident, is experiencing mixed emotions as the date of his bittersweet homecoming approaches. Until a recent identification through dental records, Livington's remains were buried as an unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Livington perished in 1941 while serving in the U.S. Navy on the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor . His nephew, Douglas Hobbs explained, ÒJust growing up I always heard stories about my uncle and how he died in Pearl Harbor from my mother (Lois Hobbs) whenever she would talk about it.Ó On July 21, Livingston will be put to rest at the Worthington Cemetery with full military honor, Hobbs explained. 15 June, 2007 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 returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Pvt. Lawrence P. Burkett , U.S. Army, of Jefferson , N.C.He will be buried Saturday in Jefferson . In early December 1944, Burkett was a member of Company A, 357th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division.The 90th ID had been assigned the task of breaching the southern portion of the enemy's "West Wall" near the German city of Saarbrücken.The 357th was occupying a bridgehead in the Dillingen Forest near the Saar River when the Germans launched a strong counterattack.The 357th suffered many casualties and on Dec. 11, Burkett was among those listed as missing in action. Vietnam War-era Soldier Identified, Returns Home with Son by Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Chlosta, JPAC Public Affairs NCOIC May 9, 2007 HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii – Army Sgt. 1st Class Lewis Clark Walton Jr., an active duty National Guard and Reserve soldier with the 115th Military Police Company, East Greenwich, R.I., is a veteran of two combat tours in Iraq. His father, Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class Lewis Clark Walton Sr., didn't make it home from his second tour in Vietnam.On May 1, Walton Jr. escorted his father's remains from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command on Hickam AFB, Hawaii to his hometown of East Greenwich for burial on May 5. "This is very rare, that we have a son escort remains," said Steve Thompson, JPAC external relations officer. Walton Jr.'s decision to join the Army was inspired by his father, by a deep sense of patriotism and in part by a family tradition of service to the country. In addition to his father, Walton Jr.'s two uncles and a cousin have all served in the military. Coming Home After 37 Years 16 May, 2007 (Rochester, N.Y.) -- The remains of Sgt. Frank Graziosi were turned over to his family Tuesday during a ceremony at the Greater Rochester International Airport. Graziosi died 37 years ago during the Vietnam War. Soldiers carried the casket holding the remains of a man younger than they are, but who died before they was born. B24 Navigator Comes Home 11 May, 2007 Airmen missing in action from WWII identified WASHINGTON (AFNEWS) -- The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced May 11 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. First Lt. Archibald Kelly, U.S. Army Air Forces, of Detroit, Mich., will be buried May 12 in Great Lakes National Cemetery at Holly, Mich. 02 May, 2007 Five Missing WWII Airmen are Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of five U.S. servicemen, missing from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors. They are 1st Lt. Cecil W. Biggs, of Teague, Texas; 1st Lt. William L. Pearce, of San Antonio, Texas; 2nd Lt. Thomas R. Yenner, of Kingston, Pa.; Tech. Sgt. Russell W. Abendschoen of York, Pa.; and Staff Sgt. George G. Herbst of Brooklyn, N.Y.; all U.S. Army Air Forces.Pearce was buried April 27 in Louisville, Ky.; Herbst will be buried June 8 at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.; Biggs will be buried June 9 in Teague, Texas; Abendschoen's funeral is June 13 at Arlington; and Yenner will be buried July 30 at Arlington. DoD Release - KW ID 30 April, 2007 Soldier Missing in Action from the Korean 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 Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Cpl. Pastor Balanon Jr., U.S. Army, of San Francisco, Calif.He will be buried May 3 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. ID of Korean War MIA 27 April, 2007 Soldier Missing From The Korean 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 Korean War, has been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Cpl. Clarence R. Becker, U.S. Army, of Lancaster, Pa.He was buried April 25 in Indiantown Gap, Pa. Representatives from the Army met with Becker'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. 25 April, 2007 MIA Remains Back on American Soil Fifty-seven years ago, Sgt. Frank Bunchuk, who was 19 at the time, joined the United States Army only to become one of many servicemen with the status "Missing in Action" on Nov. 2, 1950. The family began making arrangements on Friday for his burial in Arlington National Cemetery for later this year. 24 April, 2007 Airmen Missing In Action From Vietnam War Are Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors. They are Col. Norman D. Eaton, of Weatherford, Okla., and Lt. Col. Paul E. Getchell, of Portland, Maine, both U.S. Air Force.Eaton will be buried April 25 at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., and Getchell will be buried later this spring at Arlington. POW-MIA Balloon Launch The Wisconsin POW-MIA Balloon Launch is for ALL POWs and MIAs from ALL wars. MAY 28-MILWAUKEE-10th ANNIVERSARY POW-MIA BALLOON LAUNCH DOC-262-679-2872 www.war-veterans.org/Wlaunch.htm 63 Years Later - Coming Home 16 April, 2007 Nu Mine man killed in World War II identified through DNA Nearly 63 years after Staff Sgt. Blair W. Smith's plane was shot down over New Guinea during World War II, his remains will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Flier's Remains ID'd after 63 Years 15 April, 2007 WWII Flyer Remains ID'd After 63 Years The Associated Press PONTIAC, Mich. - The remains of a World War II navigator listed as missing in action for almost 63 years have been identified two years after they were found in Croatia, the brother of the deceased pilot said. Air Force 1st Lt. Archibald Kelly's B-24 crashed on July 22, 1944, south of Dubrovnik, Croatia, near the Adriatic Sea. The plane carrying 10 crew members was returning from a bombing raid on oil fields in Romania. Remains Come Home 13 April, 2007 Korean War remains of 6 finally home By William Cole A unique diplomatic recovery mission to North Korea ended yesterday at Hickam Air Force Base with the return of six American service members' remains from the Korean War to American soil for identification and eventual return to their families. April 2, 2007 Bone Fragment Ends Vet's Search for MIA Father. (AP) Kenyon, MN An old Air Force pilot's sidearm, a set of dog tags, a survivor's recollection of enemy shouts, gunshots, a friend's scream from across the river in Laos, then silence. A single fragment of bone. It's enough, the son says. A family and a nation have done all they could. Capt Benjamin Franklin Danielson was 26 when his F4 Phantom fighter jet was shot down over Laos in December 1969 during the Vietnam War.He was listed as missing in action until 1976, then presumed dead. Lt Cmdr Brian Danielson, 39, a Navy pilot from Kenyon, followed his father into the air, though he was just 1 year old when his dad went to war, 18 months old when Capt Danielson was shot down. Last year, after directing operations of a squadron of carrier-based planes in Iraq, Brian Danielson got permission from the Joint POW/MIA Command to join a ground search. It would be a search along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and he would be the first active-duty service member to participate in a search for a MIA father. That search and a subsequent visit to another site turned up no new evidence. But with the weight of what was found earlier, including a "highly probable DNA match from the bone fragment found in 2003, the in-country experience persuaded Danielson and his mother, Mary, to call an end to the long searching. "You could shoot holes in all the investigative work that's been done. You could drive yourself crazy. But we found what we needed to know....We have the certain knowledge that he is dead, and I got to go to Laos and see how the process works," Brian Danielson said. Now the Navy flier is planning a final flight for his father, with military escort from the DNA lab in Hawaii to Minnesota, and a June memorial in Kenyon, MN. 29 January, 2007 Navy MIA ID'ed NEWS RELEASES from the United States Department of Defense Navy Aviator Missing In Action >From the Vietnam War 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 Navy Cmdr. Peter Mongilardi Jr., of Haledon, N.J.He will be buried on April 11 at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington D.C. 15 January, 2007 Military mom spurs town to make POW-MIA memorial official MEREDITH, N.H. --A stone in Heskey Park has long served as an informal memorial to prisoners of war and missing soldiers, and soon it will soon become official, thanks to a military mom. The chairman of the Northeast POW-MIA Network holds a weekly vigil at the stone, and the annual Freedom Ride, part of Laconia's Motorcycle Week each June, also ends at the stone. Holly Tetreault says her son, who's in the Navy, was visiting Washington recently when he saw vendors outside the Vietnam memorial selling paintings of the stone. She says that's proof it has become a nationally recognized symbol. Tetreault got permission from the board of selectmen to put a bronze plaque on the stone with the POW-MIA logo and the words, "To all POW-MIA's and their families ... past, present, future." The plaque will be paid for through private donations. 30 December, 2006 Funeral is final chapter for family Vietnam vet's remains return for burial Army Master Sgt. Norman Payne moved through the Laotian jungle, searching for other members of his reconnaissance patrol. An enemy attack suddenly filled the night with bullets and confusion. Payne and the others were part of MACV-SOG (the Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Operations Group) - elite combatants including Green Berets and Navy SEALs who conducted highly clandestine operations during the war in Vietnam. Thirty-eight years later, the former Clevelander and Special Forces soldier is coming home, following a search that started in 1993 and ended with identification of Payne's remains this year. 21 December, 2006 Decades on, MIA's family gets closure ATLANTA - For nearly 37 years, memories were all the family of U.S. Army Capt. Herbert C. Crosby had left of the South Georgia soldier who disappeared after his helicopter crashed over Vietnam in 1970. Now they have a tooth and military identification tag to cherish Ñ and bury. Military officials recently announced their positive identification of remains belonging to Crosby and two other U.S. servicemen who went down in the helicopter with him. Relatives plan to bury those items along with Crosby's uniform at ArlingtonNationalCemetery during the upcoming Memorial Day holiday in honor of his May 30 birthday. 21 December, 2006 U.S. Military Soldiers Missing in Action from Vietnam War are Identified WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors. They are Maj. Frederick J. Ransbottom, of Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Staff Sgt. William E. Skivington Jr.; of Las Vegas, Nev.; both U.S. Army. Ransbottom will be buried in Edmond, Okla. on Jan. 13, and Skivington will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 23. 16 December, 2006 Four Decades between MIA, Funeral A funeral service and burial for Air Force Col. Charles J. Scharf of San Diego are scheduled today at Arlington National Cemetery, 41 years after his plane was shot down on an attack mission over a mountainous jungle in North Vietnam. Air Force Col. Charles J. Scharf was downed in Vietnam in 1965. His remains will be buried today. 01 December, 2006 News Release Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (Public Affairs) Washington, DC 20301-2400 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 1, 2006 SOLDIERS MISSING IN ACTION FROM THE KOREAN WAR ARE IDENTIFIED The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of eight U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors. They are Master Sgt. Alfred H. Alonzo Sr., of Tampa, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Robert C. Bucheit, of Hamilton, Ohio; Sgt. Francis E. Lindsay, of Esther, Mo.; Cpl. Joseph Gregori, of West Pittston, Pa.; Cpl. Darrell W. Scarbrough, of Fayetteville, W. Va.; Cpl. Homer L. Sisk, Jr., of Ducor, Calif.; Cpl. Charles E. Sizemore, of Rushville, Ind.; and Cpl. William E. Wood, of Moorhead, Minn.; all U.S. Army. Gregori was buried in August; Bucheit was buried in September; Scarbrough, Sisk and Sizemore were buried in October; Alonzo was buried in November; and Lindsay and WoodÕs burial dates are being set by their families. From the newsletter MN Won't Forget POW/MIA, St. Paul, MN Birchim Book Review from Military Writers Society of America Barbara Birchim's book "Is Anybody Listening? A True Story About The POW/MIA In The Vietnam War" is her accounting of her life and the facts around her husband Jim's disappearance in Vietnam. The MWSA says that this book is one of the most powerful personal statements from a wife of a MIA from the Vietnam War and has given this book its highest rating of Five Stars and The 2006 Presidents's Award. 28 November, 2006 NEWS RELEASES from the United States Department of Defense No. 1200-06 IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 28, 2006 Soldier Missing in Action from the Korean 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 Korean War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Master Sgt. Robert V. Layton, U.S. Army, of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is to be buried today at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. 20 October, 2006 U.S. Recovers Body Of Soldier MIA Since The Korean War Matthew Borghese - All Headline News Staff Writer Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The U.S. Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) says they have identified a serviceman who was listed as missing in action (MIA) from the Korean War. Pfc. Francis Crater Jr., U.S. Army's 32nd Infantry Regiment, of Barberton, Ohio will be returned to his family and buried with full military honors, October 21 in Akron, Ohio. Sea MIA To Be Buried At Arlington 23 September, 2005 Pfc. Czerwonka will be buried in Washington , D.C. Marine Pfc. Paul S. Czerwonka, a Stoughton resident who was listed as missing in action in Vietnam for 37 years, will finally receive the honors owed to him when he is laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Oct. 7. News that Czerwonka's remains had been positively identified and were being returned to the United States for burial was delivered to the family and then to the public on Aug. 10. Marine Laid To Rest After 37 Years 28 August, 2005 PRINCETON , Ky. -- A Kentucky Marine was buried in his hometown Saturday nearly four decades after he died in Vietnam . A homecoming theme reverberated throughout the ceremony for Lance Cpl. Donald Mitchell, who died with 11 other servicemen in May 1968. Several investigations and excavations that began in 1993 led to the recovery. He's Home Now 25 August, 2005 DAYTON - More than three decades after he was shipped off to Vietnam, Army Capt. David Smith returned home. On Wednesday, his partial remains were buried with military honors at the Dayton National Cemetery , bringing closure for a family which has grieved for more than 36 years. Burial for POW from 1951 17 August, 2005 As more troops deploy overseas from the Tri-State, the area now has the opportunity to welcome home a special Korean War veteran. The remains of a Lawrence County , Ill. , prisoner of war are returning to his hometown of Bridgeport , Ill. , 54 years after he died in captivity. Air Force Officer MIA From 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 are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Air Force Col. Gregg Hartness of Dallas , Texas . He is to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington , D.C. , on Sept. 14. On Nov. 26, 1968 , Hartness and lst Lt. Allen S. Shepherd, III, took off from Da Nang air base in South Vietnam , on a forward air control mission. While flying over Salavan Province in Laos , their O-2A 'Skymaster' was apparently struck by enemy fire and began to spin out of control. Shepherd bailed out and was rescued by an Air Force search and rescue team about nine hours later. He did not see Hartness bail out. August 10, 2005 Twelve MIAS from Vietnam War are Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today the identification of the remains of 12 U.S. servicemen missing in action from the Vietnam War.Ê Five of those identified are being returned to their families for burial, and the remaining seven will be buried as a group in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. The men who were individually identified are: Cpl. Gerald E. King, of Knoxville, Tenn.; Lance Cpls. Joseph F. Cook, of Foxboro, Mass.; Raymond T. Heyne, of Mason, Wis.; Donald W. Mitchell, of Princeton, Ky.; and Thomas W. Fritsch, of Cromwell, Conn., all of the U.S. Marine Corps.Ê Additional group remains are those of: Pfcs. Thomas J. Blackman, of Racine, Wis.; Paul S. Czerwonka, of Stoughton, Mass.; Barry L. Hempel, of Garden Grove, Calif.; Robert C. Lopez, of Albuquerque, N.M.; William D. McGonigle, of Wichita, Kan.; and Lance Cpl. James R. Sargent, of Anawalt, W. Va., all of the U.S. Marine Corps. Additionally, the remains of U.S. Army Sgt. Glenn E. Miller, of Oakland, Calif. will be included in the group burial. 02 August, 2005 POW Gets Medal 60 Years Later As a prisoner of war of the Nazis, Lloyd Kilmer was forced to march through a blizzard that left some POWs dead and Kilmer with frostbite on his hands and feet. On July 8, the 84-year-old Sun City West resident was awarded the Purple Heart at Luke Air Force Base in a ceremony attended by his family, friends and base officials. It had been more than 60 years since he earned the award, which was presented to him by Luke's base commander, Col. Robin Rand. The commander praised Kilmer, telling him the nation was indebted to him for his service. Rand stressed the importance of recognizing World War II veterans. 27 July, 2005 One more soldier's kin find closure Amid the table-flat cornfields of rural Ohio, a Melbourne policeman and Cape Canaveral's fire chief will lay their long-lost cousin to rest at last. In March 1969, Army Sgt. Michael L. Batt was killed in an airplane crash in Vietnam. Search teams could not find the wreckage of the Army U-21A amid the dense, triple-canopied jungle, and Batt's body was lost for decades. But in 2000, U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command investigators discovered and excavated the crash site, about 25 miles northwest of Da Nang. DNA testing identified Batt's remains, and he will be buried Monday after a military graveside ceremony in Defiance, Ohio. 26 July, 2005 Air Force Officers MIA From Vietnam War are Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today the remains of two servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors. They are Col. James W. Lewis of Marshall, Texas, and Maj. Arthur D. Baker of San Antonio, Texas, both Air Force. Lewis is to be buried in Marshall on August 13, and Baker is to be buried in Longview, Texas on July 29. 01 July, 2005 NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense Korean War Missing in Action Serviceman Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. Army soldier, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial in Schererville, Ind. He is Pfc. Lowell W. Bellar of Gary, Ind. He is to be buried on July 15, the date of his birth in 1931. 30 June, 2005 WW II Sub Discovered in Gulf of Thailand - 86 MIA Divers discover WWII U.S. sub in Gulf of Thailand By Ed Cropley Ê BANGKOK (Reuters) - A team of deep-sea divers has discovered the wreck of a U.S. submarine sunk by a Japanese minelayer 60 years ago in the Gulf of Thailand during the closing stages of World War II. The U.S.S. Lagarto, a 1,500 ton"Balao class" submarine, disappeared without trace on May 4, 1945 after attacking a Japanese tanker and destroyer convoy around 100 miles off the southeast coast of Thailand. All 86 men on board are still listed as missing in action. "We've always known that since the end of the War there's been a submarine missing around there," said British wreck diver Jamie MacLeod, who discovered the 110 m (310-foot) submarine sitting in 70m (225 ft) of water in May. 29 June, 2005 Air Force Officer MIA from Vietnam War is Identified Jun 29, 2005 The Department of Defense POW/MIA Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial. He is Air Force Lt. Col. Darel D. Leetun of Hettinger, N.D. Leetun will be buried with full military honors July 8 at Arlington National Cemetery. 26 June, 2005 VN Serviceman ID'd Remains Of Vietnam Veteran Identified After 39 Years MIAMI -Ê The remains of an Air Force officer from Miami Beach have been identified, nearly four decades after his plane was shot down over Vietnam, officials said Wednesday. ÊCapt. David J. Phillips Jr. was attacking enemy targets over Kien Giang Province in South Vietnam on July 3, 1966, when his F-5 Freedom Fighter was hit by ground fire and crashed, according toÊ the U.S. Department of Defense. Korean War MIA Identified 27 June, 2005 The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial in Fergus Falls, Minn. on Wednesday. He is Corporal John O. Strom of Fergus Falls, Minn. Soldier Finally Returns Home - 60 Years Later 16 June, 2005 BRISTOL, Tenn. Ð After 60 years, Private Earnest Brown returned home last weekend, wrapped in the same type of Army blanket that kept him warm through two European winters during World War II. Every time Brown's remains have been moved since 1992, he's been carefully shrouded in a blanket, the folds held together with clothespins. Airman Identified 13 June, 2005 Airman missing from Vietnam War identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced that the remains of an Airman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and were returned to his family for burial at Arlington National Cemetery on June 10. He is Col. James Carter of Johnson City, Tenn. On Feb. 3, 1966, Colonel Carter was the aircraft commander of a C-123 Provider aircraft which had taken off from Khe Sanh in South Vietnam on a supply mission to Dong Ha, South Vietnam. The plane was not seen again, and searches along the flight route did not find a crash site. Missing Vietnam War pilot ID'd 31 May, 2005 By Associated Press WILLITS, Calif. -- DNA tests on bone remnants have confirmed the identity of a fighter pilot missing in action since a plane crash during the Vietnam War. Air Force 1st Lt. Lee Aaron "Larry" Adams, 27, of Willits guided his fighter jet into an attack dive on a Quang Binh province target on April 19, 1966. Fellow pilots reported that his Republic F-105 Thunderchief was hit by enemy fire, crashed and exploded. His family had no closure until this weekend -- 39 years later. MIA Remains Recovered 04 March, 2005 Three names removed from Camp Lester MIA wall after remains are found in Vietnam By Erik Slavin, Stars and Stripes, Pacific Edition CAMP LESTER, Okinawa - U.S. Navy Hospital Okinawa personnel said a final goodbye Wednesday to three fallen comrades who went missing during the Vietnam War. The hospital's honor guard removed the pictures of three hospital corpsmen from their POW/MIA wall after their remains recently were identified. Corpsmen James Patrick McGrath, Ronald James Manning and Bernard Gause Jr. all died during or immediately after attacks on their air transport, according to Navy records. Remains of KW MIA Recovered & ID'd 26 February, 2005 "Missing Korean War Serviceman Remains found in China After 52 Years" by Soon-Taek Kwon (maypole@donga.com) The remains of a U.S. soldier unearthed in Dandong, China last June were identified as those of a missing U.S. fighter pilot from the Korean War in 1952. The U.S. Department of Defense announced on February 26 that the investigation of the unearthed remains in Dandong last June identified them as those of captain Troy Cope, a pilot of a U.S. Air Force F-86 jet who became missing in September 1952. After 38 Years, Coming Home 24 February, 2005 After 38 years, remains of sergeant killed in Vietnam positively ID'd By PAUL MEYER -The Dallas Morning News PLANO Ð James Neil Tycz died a hero May 10, 1967, when a hand grenade exploded near his face in Khe Sanh, Vietnam. Of his seven-member reconnaissance patrol team, only three Marines survived the early-morning firefight with the North Vietnamese army, according to military records. The others were buried under elephant grass on Hill 665, unrecovered but not forgotten. MIA Marine Finally Coming Home 10 February, 2005 Marine killed in Vietnam to finally come home SUNY to honor star student-athlete's memory By Gabriel J. Wasserman For the Poughkeepsie Journal NEW PALTZ -- Nearly 40 years after he was killed on his first day of active duty, a Marine who left an enduring athletic legacy at SUNY Paltz can be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The remains of Second Lt. Heinz Ahlmeyer were identified in January from a tooth filling found at the site of a 1967 skirmish in Vietnam. The platoon commander was believed dead but listed as missing until the recently unearthed tooth was compared to dental records. Lost Soldier Found 10 February, 2005 By JOHN HAUGHEY Staff Writer, Sun-Herald, FL Col. Sheldon John Burnett may have been missing in action for nearly 34 years, but he was never lost in the hearts, minds and memories of his children. Now, he's coming home. Burnett's daughter, Trish Burnett, of East Derry, N.H., said Friday she was notified Wednesday that her father's remains have been recovered in Laos. Coming Home 04 February, 2005 Soldier's remains coming home EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) - More than 60 years after his plane disappeared during World War II, a South Texas soldier's remains are coming home. Second Lt. James Walter Carver will be buried with full military honors on Saturday at the foot of his mother's grave in Eagle Pass. An Army navigator, Carver had just turned 22 when his plane disappeared while en route to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, after a night raid on a key Japanese base. Seven other men, including another Texan, were on board. From: POW-MIA InterNetwork Date: February 22, 2004 "A 31-Year-Search For MIA Navy Pilot Comes To An End By John Sharify KOMO 4 NEWS Lt. Alan Clark was in the last Navy plane shot down in Vietnam; remains identified last month and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. From: POW-MIA InterNetwork Date: February 18, 2004 "WW2 B-24 Bomber found in waters near Port of Palau A U.S Bomber has been found in waters off Palau, 60 years after it was shot down. The remains of up to eight American servicemen could be on board and the exact position of the World War Two aircraft has not yet been released. The leader of the volunteer Bentprop project, which tries to find missing aircraft, Dr Patrick Scannon, said the discovery of the men would help the families of those missing bring their relatives to rest. Re: Remains from SEA Sent Home From: POW-MIA InterNetwork Date: January 15, 2004 "Remains of Four American MIAs Sent to U.S. HANOI, Vietnam (AP)--Remains believed to be those of four U.S. soldiers killed during the Vietnam War were saluted and loaded onto a plane bound for home Wednesday. The remains were found in northern and central Vietnam by a joint recovery team that searches for soldiers listed as missing in action. Re: Remains Identified from Laos From: POW-MIA InterNetwork Date: January 17, 2004 "Pentagon confirms Minnesota soldier's remains found, recovered in Laos The Associated Press Clinton Allen Musil Sr. had been missing since May 31, 1971, when his military helicopter was shot down while on a reconnaissance flight over Laos. On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that the remains of the Minneapolis soldier had been recovered, bringing relief to a family that spent 33 years wondering. Re: 3 Missing in Iraq From: POW-MIA InterNetwork Date: January 26, 2004 "2 soldiers in helicopter crash missing January 26, 2004 TIKRIT, Iraq -- A U.S. helicopter crashed in the Tigris River while searching for a missing soldier Sunday, and the aircraft's two crew members were missing, the military said. It did not say what caused the crash of the Kiowa Warrior helicopter, attached to the 101st Airborne Division. From: POW-MIA InterNetwork Date: January 14, 2004 "Remains of four U.S. servicemen leave Vietnam HANOI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The remains of four U.S. servicemen killed in the Vietnam War were flown out on Wednesday, the first repatriation this year in an ongoing programme to recover those lost during the conflict that ended nearly 30 years ago. Placed in metal cases, each draped with the American flag, the remains were loaded onto a U.S. military transport plane. The remains are expected to be taken to Hawaii for forensic identification, after which families will be From: POW-MIA InterNetwork Date: October 09, 2003 Air Force Staff Sgt. Elmer “Larryâ€� Holden will be buried Saturday, 35 years after he died in the Vietnam War. Holden, a flight engineer assigned to the 37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron at Da Nang, Vietnam, died with three other crewmen when his helicopter was shot down while searching for a missing U.S. AIr Force pilot missing near Hue. From: POW-MIA InterNetwork Date: October 07, 2003 Also, the body of Staff Sergeant Larry Holden is returning to American soil. Sgt. Holden gave his life fighting for America 35 years ago in Vietnam. His search and rescue helicopter, an HH-3 Jolly Green Giant out of Da Nang Air Force Base, faced enemy fire and went down with four men inside.Witnesses said it exploded on impact, but no bodies were found. From: POW-MIA InterNetwork Date: October 01, 2003 Air Force Capt. Richard C. Yeend Jr., whose remains were identified last month 35 years after he had been listed as missing in action when his helicopter was shot down over Laos, was buried in a private family ceremony in Mobile. Richard Yeend and his three crewmates were trying to rescue a downed A-4E Skyhawk Marine pilot June 9, 1968, when they were shot down. The remains of all four men were recovered earlier this year from the crash site near Ban Kaboui, Laos. The remains of one of Yeend's crewmates, Lt. Jack C. Rittichier of Barberton, Ohio, also have been positively identified, the Pentagon announced Monday. Larry Greer, spokesman for the Pentagon office in charge of POW and MIA issues, said Rittichier was the only Coast Guardsman in the Vietnam War listed as missing in action. From: POW-MIA InterNetwork Date: November 07, 2003 "A family's final farewell Warrant Officer Paul Black's remains are carried by a casket team during a military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Thursday. ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Half a world and 32 years distant from where their son's helicopter went down, Jim and Jane Black of Port Orford, finally said farewell Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery. Paul Vernon Black and three others were on an aerial reconnaissance mission over Cambodia when the chopper was shot down March 1, 1971. Only the remains of the other three men were recovered and identified at the time. Not until this year was the Army able to confirm that fragments recovered in 1995 from the site belonged to Black, who was 22.