Identifying Our Missing: December 2016 Identifications
In World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, millions of Americans served far from home. In the various conflicts, service members fought in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific. They traversed mountains in Italy, France, Korea and Vietnam. They trudged through the tropical jungles of the Philippines. And they fought in countless other locations. They touched nearly all corners of the globe. Because of the geographic challenges, the use of air and naval power, and the inherent dangers of an active war zone, Americans that lost their lives were not always recovered. Today, nearly 83,000 are unaccounted for from these conflicts. But the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is working to change this. DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) also has a role in the history of honoring the missing individual. Every American that was considered missing in action, or lost or buried at sea from World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War is commemorated on Walls of the Missing at an ABMC cemetery or memorial. The names of the missing remain permanently inscribed, even after the individual is recovered, identified and accounted for. To denote that the person is no longer missing, ABMC adds a rosette next to the name.
During December 2016, DPAA accounted for 32 men who lost their lives in World War II or the Korean War. ABMC will add a rosette next to each of the following names:
World War II
Pvt. Gene J. Appleby, Company A, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Tablets of the Missing: Netherlands American Cemetery
Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Cecil E. Barncord, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Radioman 3rd Class Howard W. Bean, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Seaman 2nd Class Floyd F. Clifford, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Seaman 1st Class George A. Coke, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Fireman 3rd Class Kenneth L. Holm, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Fireman 3rd Class Glaydon I.C. Iverson, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Machinist's Mate 1st Class Fred M. Jones, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Coxswain Verne F. Knipp, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Fire Controlman 2nd Class Donald R. McCloud, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Don O. Neher, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
SSgt. Byron H. Nelson, 721st Bomb Squadron, 450th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force
Tablets of the Missing: Florence American Cemetery
Seaman 1st Class Camillus M. O’Grady, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
1st Lt. Francis Pitonyak, 36th Fighter Group, 8th Fighter Squadron
Tablets of the Missing: Manila American Cemetery
Seaman 1st Class Harold R. Roesch, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Yeoman 3rd Class Edmund T. Ryan, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Capt. Albert L. Schlegel, 335th Fighter Squadron, 84th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force
Tablets of the Missing: Lorraine American Cemetery
Korean War
Sgt. Homer R. Abney, Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Sgt. 1st Class Eugene J. Colley, Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Pfc. Charles C. Follese, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Cpl. Jules Hauterman, Medical Platoon, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Cpl. James T. Mainhart, Company I, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Sgt. Stafford L. Morris, Battery A, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Cpl. Joseph N. Pelletier, Headquarters Battery, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Cpl. George A. Perreault, Headquarters Battery, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Cpl. Edward Pool, 31st Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Sgt. Edward Saunders, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Cpl. Gerald I. Shepler, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Pfc. Thomas C. Stagg, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Cpl. Luis P. Torres, Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Sgt. Thomas E. Zimmer, Battery A, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Vietnam War
Col. William E. Campbell, 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
About ABMC:
Established by Congress in 1923, the American Battle Monuments Commission commemorates the service, achievements, and sacrifice of U.S. armed forces. ABMC administers 25 overseas military cemeteries, and 27 memorials, monuments, and markers.
About DPAA:
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation. 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.