War On Terror News

VFW Commander Not a Veteran?

Robert L. Deppe, served as Commander of VFW Post 2015 until just recently.  However, he was in fact NOT a veteran at all, let alone a Vietnam Vet as he claimed.  He was arrested earlier last month for suspicion of stealing money.  This ain't Hell, a blog where folks like Deppe, who make false claims of valor, are hauled out into the open, has more. 

Deppe had handed in a letter of resigination to VFW Post 2015 after the post requested authorization from Deppe regarding his official service record.  Doubt began to surface regarding his having received a Bronze and Silver Star in Vietnam along with the Purple Heart as far back as 2005.

"We cannot find any record of him being in the military," said William Page, an infantryman who fought during the time that Deppe claimed to have fought.  Using the Freedom of Information Act, the National Personnel Records Center was checked and no records were found for Robert L. Deppe.

Back in 2005, Page noticed some striking similarities to events that occurred when Page was serving in Vietnam and began checking into Deppe and his service record.  Finding pieces of Page's military events and those from other veterans in Deppe's accounts didn't sit right.  "I saw this story and I said, dang, this guy is talking just like me," said Page.

The POW Network and This ain't Hell make it a point to go after false claims of stolen valor.

As to his Robert Deppe's claims of having earned the Silver and Bronze Star?  The POW Network has proof of falsified documents, Deppe's arrest and more.

"He's just full of baloney," said William Page.  Sadly, claims of false valor are all too common.  "In the census 10 years ago, over 11 million men claimed to be [Vietnam] veterans when only 3 million served. It's rampant," he said.

 

Welcome Home TSgt Charles A Bode & Crew, RIP

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of 11 U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors. 

                 Army Air Forces Technical Sgt. Charles A. Bode, 23, Baltimore, will be buried on Feb. 11 in Arlington National Cemetery.  On Nov. 20, 1943, Bode, along with 10 other B-24D Liberator crew members, took off from Jackson Airfield, Port Moresby, New Guinea, on an overwater mission near the northern coast of the country.  During the mission, the only radio transmission from the crew indicated they were 20 miles northwest of Port Moresby, but they did not return to Jackson Airfield.  Subsequent searches failed to uncover any evidence of either the crew or the aircraft. 

Department begins project for Vietnam War veterans

1/20/2011 By Terri Moon Cronk WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- More than three decades after the war's end, Defense Department officials have begun a project to pay tribute to the nation's Vietnam War veterans.

1960s -- Three F-5A aircraft, armed with 750 pound bombs, are shown in the revetment area at Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, Jan. 31, 1966. (U.S. Air Force photo)

The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act led to the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration, an official said.

"It was a very important time period for veterans, because most Vietnam veterans, as a whole, never received the homecoming that our troops receive now," said Army Lt. Col. Hunter Holliday, the public affairs officer for the commemoration.

Welcome Home 1LT Robert F Dees RIP

Airman Missing in Action from Korean War is Identified

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

            Air Force 1st Lt. Robert F. Dees, 23, of Moultrie, Ga., will be buried Jan. 22 at the Longstreet Historical Cemetery in Ozark, Ala.  On Oct. 9, 1952, he was flying an F-84 Thunderjet, attacking several targets in North Korea.  After he and three aircraft from the 430th Fighter-Bomber Squadron completed their attack on their primary target, they began their bombing run against enemy boxcars on the railroad near Sinyang.  Other members of his flight reported seeing an explosion near the target they were attacking.  They believed it to be the crash of Dees' aircraft and could not raise any radio contact with him.  Airborne searches over the battlefield failed to locate him or his aircraft.

US Vets Help Vietnam Locate Mass Grave

19 January 2011 VOA News The Vietnamese military says U.S. veterans of the Vietnam War have helped locate a mass grave containing the remains of 81 communist soldiers who died in battle more than 40 years ago.

A Vietnamese army spokesman says the soldiers are believed to have died in a March, 1968 attack on a U.S. base in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

Authorities say that decades later, U.S. veterans who served at the base gave Vietnamese authorities a map to the burial site.

Lieutenant-Colonel Tran Van Khanh tells the Associated Press the remains of four of the soldiers buried by the Americans

MIA Col James E. Dennany, Maj Robert L. Tucci from Vietnam Identified

Airmen Missing From Vietnam War Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

             Air Force Col. James E. Dennany, 34, of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Maj. Robert L. Tucci, 27, of Detroit, will be buried as a group Jan. 14, in the Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery.

             On Nov. 12, 1969, Dennany and Tucci were flying the number three aircraft of three F-4Ds escorting an AC-130 gunship on a night strike mission over Laos.  After the gunship attacked six trucks and set two of them on fire, the AC-130 crew's night vision equipment was impacted by the glow from the fires. 

Welcome Home PVT Henry A Weikel, RIP

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

                 Army Private Henry A. Weikel, 28, of Mt. Carmel, Pa., will be buried on Dec. 9 in Annville, Pa.  On Sept. 16, 1918, as part of the 60^th Infantry Regiment, 1^st Brigade, 5^th Infantry Division, his unit encountered heavy enemy artillery barrage and machine gun fire near Jaulny, France, in a wooded area known as Bois de Bonvaux.  Weikel was killed during the battle and his remains were buried with two other soldiers in a wooded area between Bois de Bonvaux and Bois de Grand Fontaine.  Attempts to locate his remains by U.S. Army Graves Registration personnel following the war were unsuccessful. 

New #Bowe Bergdahl Video Released by Taliban

Taliban Display U.S. Captive

VoA News: The Taliban have released a video displaying the only U.S. soldier held captive in Afghanistan.

The video released Wednesday shows Specialist Bowe Bergdahl who has been held by the Taliban since he disappeared from his base in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.

The U.S.-based IntelCenter, a private organization that monitors Taliban media, reports that a second man who appears in the video is a Taliban commander who once threatened to kill the U.S. soldier.

This is the first time Bergdahl has been seen in a video since April 7. He appeared in two similar videos in 2009.

Welcome Home SFC Wallace Slight, RIP

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 returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

            Army Sgt. First Class Wallace L. Slight, 24, of Yates City, Ill., will be buried Dec. 3 in Van Meter, Iowa.  On Nov. 1, 1950, Slight was assigned to M Company, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, occupying a defensive position in North Korea, along the Nammyon River, near a bend known as the "Camel's Head."  Two enemy elements attacked the 1st Cavalry Division's lines, collapsing their perimeter and forcing a withdrawal.  Almost 400 men, including Slight, were reported missing or killed in action following the battle.

            In 1953, a U.S. soldier captured during the same battle reported that a fellow prisoner of war had told him Slight had died on the battlefield during the attack.

Welcome Home CPT George W Grismore, RIP

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

                Army Air Forces Capt. George W. Grismore, 30, of Salt Lake City, will be buried at sea Nov. 17 off the coast of Newport Beach, Calif.  A memorial service in Salt Lake City will precede the burial on Nov. 13.  On March 12, 1945, Grismore and five crew members aboard a C-47A Skytrain departed Tanauan Airfield on Leyte, Philippines, on a resupply mission to guerilla troops.  Once cleared for takeoff, there was no further communication between the aircrew and airfield operators.  When the aircraft failed to return, a thorough search of an area ten miles on either side of the intended route was initiated.  No evidence of the aircraft was found and the six men were presumed killed in action.  Their remains were determined to be non-recoverable in 1949. 

Welcome Home CPL Floyd E. Hooper RIP

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

                Army Cpl. Floyd E. Hooper, 27, of Stratton, Colo., will be buried on Nov. 13 in his hometown.  In February 1951, his unit, the 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, fought against Chinese Communist forces in support of Operation Thunderbolt, an operation to sweep and clear enemy forces occupying areas south of the Han River.  Strong enemy forces supported by artillery fire forced his unit to withdraw to a defensive perimeter where

Welcome Home SSG Claude A. Ray, SSG Claude G. Tyler RIP

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

                 Army Air Forces Staff Sgts. Claude A. Ray, 24, Coffeyville, Kan., and Claude G. Tyler, 24, Landover, Md., will both be buried today -- Ray in Fallbrook, Calif., and Tyler in Arlington National Cemetery.  These two airmen, along with 10 other crew members, were ordered to carry out a reconnaissance mission in their B-24D Liberator, taking off from an airfield near Port Moresby, New Guinea, on Oct. 27, 1943.

Welcome Home SSG John R Simonetti, RIP

Soldier Missing in Action from WWII 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. 

              Army Staff Sgt. John R. Simonetti, 26, of Jackson Heights, N.Y., will be buried on Oct. 25 in Arlington National Cemetery.  Following the Normandy invasion, allied troops began the deadly task of engaging regrouped German forces in the pastures, hedgerows and villages of France.  On June 16, 1944, SSG Simonetti was among the advancing infantrymen of the 9th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division.  The soldiers were met with heavy automatic weapons and mortar fire and were forced to stop and take cover before they reached the French town of St. Germain-d'Elle.  During the battle, the Americans sustained heavy losses, including Simonetti.  Two members of his unit later gave conflicting information on the location and disposition of his remains.  In the first account, the witness stated his body could not be recovered due to enemy activity, and the second said his body was evacuated to the battalion aid station.  Two post-war investigations failed to recover his remains and he was declared non-recoverable by a military review board in 1950. 

Welcome Home SSG Robert S Griffith, RIP

Missing Vietnam War Soldiers Identified

                The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of three servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors. 

                Army Staff Sgt. Robert S. Griffith, of Hapeville, Ga., will be buried on Oct. 23 in Fairburn, Ga.  The group remains of the other two soldiers which could not be individually identified -- Army Staff Sgt. Melvin C. Dye, of Carleton, Mich., and Sgt. 1st Class Douglas J. Glover, of Cortland, N.Y., will be buried at a later date.  The men were aboard a UH-1H Iroquois helicopter on Feb. 19, 1968, when it was shot down by enemy fire in Laos.  They were involved in an attempt to extract a long-range reconnaissance patrol in the mountains of Attapu Province.  Three other American service members survived the crash and were rescued, but three Vietnamese Montagnards did not survive. 

Welcome Home 2LT Arthur Parkhurst, RIP

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

            Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Arthur F. Parkhurst, of Evansville, Ind., will be buried on Oct. 16 in Dayton, Ohio.  On March 12, 1945, Parkhurst and five other crew members aboard a C-47A Skytrain departed Tanauan Airfield on Leyte, Philippines, on a resupply mission to guerilla troops.  Once cleared for takeoff there was no further communication between the aircrew and airfield operators.  When the aircraft failed to return, a thorough search of an area ten miles on either side of the intended route was initiated.  No evidence of the aircraft was found and the six men were presumed killed in action, their remains determined non-recoverable.

MIA Issue Aided US-Vietnam Relationship, Gates Says

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs Story by John Banusiewicz  10.11.2010  HANOI, Vietnam - Efforts to recover those missing from the Vietnam War have helped to transform the U.S.-Vietnamese relationship in the years since the conflict ended, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.

"A decade of conflict and bloodshed between our nations has given way to prosperous bilateral relations now marking their fifteenth year," Gates said in a speech at Vietnam National University.

Cooperation in accounting for those missing in action from the war has been a key element in the relationship's evolution, the secretary said.

"It was our commitment to work together to find the missing from the war and to address the traumas still felt by those in and near the conflict that provided the first opportunity for our countries to engage," he said. "And it was this initial cooperation that led us to where we are today, with a vibrant relationship that spans a range of issues."

Both countries have a "long, deep and abiding" commitment to locate those missing in action, Gates said. Since 1998, he noted, almost

Welcome Home PFC Lawrence N. Harris, CPL Judge C. Hellums RIP

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

                 Army Pfc. Lawrence N. Harris, of Elkins, W.V., will be buried on Oct. 8 in Clarksburg, W.V,

Welcome Home Navy LT Francis B. McIntyre, Aviation Radioman Second Class William L. Russell RIP

Missing WWII Naval Aviators Identified

             The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

             Navy Lt. Francis B. McIntyre of Mitchell, S.D., will be buried on Sept. 29, and Aviation Radioman Second Class William L. Russell of Cherokee, Okla., will be buried on Oct. 1. Both men will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

             On Nov. 10, 1943, the two men took off on a bombing and strafing mission in their SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber from Munda Field, New Georgia, in the Solomon Islands. 

Former POWs visit Tinker, share story

by John Stuart
Tinker Public Affairs

9/24/2010 - TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFNS) -- It's a length of time no prisoner of war can forget: the time he was held captive. World War II veteran Warren Ledbetter's memory is no different.
He entered the Japanese prisoner of war camp in 1942. He wouldn't emerge from captivity for more than 3 years.

He knows that 1,266 days of his life were spent as a prisoner of the Japanese. He entered the camp as a 21-year-old and emerged, after an Allied victory, at 25.

An infantry radio operator, Mr. Ledbetter was taken prisoner following the joint U.S. and Filipino surrender at Bataan in April 1942.

Airmen greet former prisoners of war Sept. 17, 2010 at the Tinker Air Force Base Club during POW/MIA Recognition Day. The men visited Tinker AFB for a breakfast in their honor and shared their stories of war and captivity with the Airmen. The POWs represented veterans from World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. Hunger, brutality and finally return, were common threads in their stories. (Air Force photo/Kelly White)

Welcome Home SGT Edward Jones, WWII, RIP

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

   Army Sgt. Edward T. Jones, of West Pawlet, Vt., will be buried on Sept. 25 in Saratoga, N.Y.  In November 1944, the 112^th Infantry Regiment, 28^th Infantry Division was traveling east through the Hürtgen Forest in an attempt to capture the German towns of Vossenack and Schmidt.  On Nov. 6, Jones and five other members of A Company, 112^th Infantry Regiment, were killed in the town of Kommerscheidt when a German tank fired point-blank on their position.

Welcome Home PFC James C Konyud, WWII, RIP

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office 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. 

U.S. Army Pfc. James C. Konyud, of Cleveland, will be buried on Sept. 25 in his hometown. From mid-September 1944 to early February 1945, the U.S. Army was engaged against German forces in the Hürtgen Forest, along the Germany/Belgium border, in the longest continuously fought battle in American history.  In early January 1945, elements of the 121^st Infantry Regiment, 8^th Infantry Division were deployed defensively in the area southeast of Aachen.  Konyud, a member of K Company, 121^st Infantry Regiment, was reported missing near the location on January 1.

The Importance of a Story by @Uncle_Buck

There is no story more appropriate for this day than the one told by Uncle Buck.  Today is a day for Recognizing POW's and MIA's.  Every year, at the last minute, the President proclaims it so.  And it is important that we take the time to reflect on the hardships Our POW's have endured and the families of those Missing in Action continue to endure.

Today, PFC Bowe Bergdahl continues to be held hostage by the Taliban. It is a special day to reflect on that, no matter what propaganda the Taliban propigates surrounding his kidnapping.  Until he is returned, all judgment must be withheld concerning how he survives the captivity.

But as we reflect on the Missing we still search for, we should also be grateful for the successful work of those that take the mission of bringing them home to rest.  And Uncle Buck's story is one of dedication whether when he had little hope or when he realized his opportunity to see through that hope of bringing home one particular Missing Brother.

Presidential Proclamation: POW-MIA Day

September 16, 2010

Presidential Proclamation--National POW/MIA Recognition Day

  "Until every story ends" is a solemn promise to those who wear the uniform of the United States that they will never be left behind or forgotten.  On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we pay tribute to the American men and women who never returned home from combat, to those who faced unthinkable suffering as prisoners of war in distant lands, and to all servicemembers who have defended American lives and liberties with unwavering devotion.  As a grateful Nation, we can never repay the profound debt to our heroes, and we will not rest until we have accounted for the missing members of our Armed Forces.

In Perspective: Bringing a Missing Brother Home

[Editor's Note: For 17 years, LTC Buck wore the MIA bracelet of LTC Mason.  He presented it to Mrs. Mason when he brought home and laid to rest his brother.  We are honored to be allowed to share his story.]

by LTC Brian Buck,
©2010 Uncle Buck, all rights reserved.  

As a member of the military, I realize that there are times where I may be called upon to lay down my life for the defense of my country, to defend the constitution against all enemies. Some people can't understand this call to duty, they're lost in a world where these are foreign concepts best left for books or TV. This however, has always been a realization for me from the day I signed on, to the days I spent in Sarajevo as part of SFOR, through the year I spent in downtown Baghdad with MNF-I. But all that time I had a reminder with me that it's a price others have been willing to pay for my freedom and it's a duty I owe to everyone else.

That reminder was in the form of a POW/MIA bracelet commemorating Colonel William Henderson Mason. A small strip of aluminum engraved with his name and date of loss in the Vietnam war, May 22nd 1968. On that night then Lt Col Mason and the other 8 members of his crew lifted off in a C-130 under the callsign of BLIND BAT 01. They were bound for a point of the Ho Chi Minh trail that extended into southern Laos to drop illumination flares so that other aircraft in the area could see the enemy illuminated and drop ordinance on them. It was a dangerous mission...that night they did not return. Their C-130 was lost to AAA fire over the jungle near the border of Laos and Vietnam. Search missions found no trace of their aircraft the next day. The crew of BLIND BAT 01 were listed as Missing in Action.

 

All of this hapened a year and a few days before I was even born. I never really knew of, much less understood, the level of sacrifice these men and others made for me. It wasn't until my time in the Air Force ROTC program at Southeast Missouri State that I really started to appreciate the gravity of what could happen in my chosen line of work. In the Fall of 1990 my girlfriend at the time, who later I had the great fortune of marrying, and I purchased POW/MIA bracelets as a fundraiser for the Arnold Air Society. I randomly pulled SSG Russel Bott from the bucket, but she being more meticulous searched the bin and found one with the last name of Mason, with her father being in the Masonic Lodge it didn't take too long for her to make her choice.

 

17 SEP 2010 is POW-MIA Remembrance Day

In Honor of POW's and MIA's

 

17 SEP 2010 is POW-MIA Day

Missing Man Table & Honors Ceremony"

In remembrance of those still missing and those who suffered capture, the following is included in all formal military dining events, called a "Dining In" in the Army:

Explanations of the ceremonial table and what we place there:

This table set for one is small... It symbolizes the frailty of one prisoner against his oppressors.

The tablecloth is white... It symbolizes the purity of their intentions responding to their country's call to arms.

The single rose displayed in a vase... It reminds us of the families and loved ones of our comrades in arms who keep faith awaiting their return.

The red ribbon... Tied on the vase, is reminiscent of the red ribbon worn by thousands who bear witness to their determination to demand proper accounting for our missing.

A slice of lemon... Is on the bread plate to remind us of their bitter fate.

There is salt... Upon the bread plate symbolic of family tears as they wait.

The glass is inverted... They cannot toast us today.

The chair is empty... They are not here.

Remember all of you who served with them and called them comrades. You who depended on their might and aid and relied upon them.

Do not forsake them.

Pray for them and remember!

Pentagon's POW/MIA Corridor Dedicated

  Michele Flournoy, under secretary of defense for policy, dedicated a new Pentagon display today honoring POWs and MIAs from all conflicts.

    The corridor, located on the 3rd floor, has been added to the Pentagon's public tour route where thousands of visitors and more than 23,000 Pentagon employees may view it.

    In her dedication remarks, Flournoy noted that the displays in the corridor send many messages,

Japan Apologizes to American POW's

VOA News   Monday, September 13th, 2010

Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has apologized to former U.S. prisoners of war, saying they were treated inhumanely at the hands of the Imperial Army in World War Two.

Okada met with six former POWs and their relatives who were in Tokyo Monday at the invitation of the Japanese government.

Okada asked them accept what he called his country’s “heartfelt” apology.

One of the Americans, 90 year-old Lester Tenney, said he welcomes the government’s apology.

But Tenney said he still wants

New campus in Basra to strengthen Soldier resiliency

By Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. PAO

09.09.2010  BASRA, Iraq – Nine years of persistent conflict have placed Soldiers under a number of stressors as they continue their mission. Physical demands, emotional stress, Family issues, spiritual challenges, and social hurdles can increase the demands of an already-stressful environment.

(Army Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

The Department of the Army is helping Soldiers develop their ability to be resilient and thrive in the face of these stressors with the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, and the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters deployed to Basra, Iraq, is working to improve the resilience of personnel in United States Division-South while they are still operating in a combat zone.

Former POW, Brig. Gen Rhonda Cornum, Talks Fitness to Troops

 Former POW Visits Resiliency Campus in Kuwait, Talks Comprehensive Fitness

1st Sustainment Command (Theater) Public Affairs
Story by Natalie Cole

09.11.2010  CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – "Being a POW is the rape of your entire life. But what I learned in those Iraqi bunkers and prison cells is that the experience doesn't have to be devastating, that it depends on you."

These are the words of Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, who was held as a prisoner of war for eight days in Iraq in February 1991. Cornum and seven other soldiers were aboard a Blackhawk helicopter that was searching for the pilot of a downed F-16. The Blackhawk was shot down by enemy fire, killing five soldiers and injuring Cornum and two others.

To escape the wreckage, Cornum, a major and flight surgeon at the time, “dug her way out with two broken arms, a broken finger, a gunshot wound, torn knee ligaments, an eye glued shut with blood and other injuries,” according to a 2003 Time Magazine report.

Welcome Home Army SGT Charles P. Whitler RIP

U.S. Soldier MIA from Korean War 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 returned to his family for burial with full military honors. 

United States Army Sgt. Charles P. Whitler will be buried Sept. 2 in his hometown of Cloverport, Ky. 

In early November 1950, Whitler was assigned to 3^rd Battalion, 8^th Cavalry Regiment, occupying a defensive position near the town of Unsan by the Kuryong River known as the "Camel's Head."  Two enemy elements attacked the U.S. forces, collapsing their perimeter

POW-MIA Recovery in Honorable Hands

JPAC: The Dream Assignment Story by Tech. Sgt. Cohen Young DMA-Hawaii

When the average military member hears the acronym JPAC, chances are high that they don’t know that it stands for Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, but if you asked a 92Mike or Mortuary Affairs Specialist in the U.S. Army, that person will know instantly what JPAC is. For most, it is the dream job of their career field.

“For me personally as a mortuary affairs specialist, JPAC is the assignment that you want to get as a 92Mike,” said East Liverpool, Ohio, native Army Staff Sgt. Tyler Green, the Recovery NCO for the Oscar Team of JPAC.

“Everyone dreams of coming to JPAC to do their job,” added Green.

Welcome Home U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ray F. Fletcher RIP

Airman Missing In Action From WWII 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. 

  U.S. Army Air Forces 1^st Lt. Ray F. Fletcher, of Westborough, Mass., will be buried Aug. 20 in Burlington, Vt.

  On May 10, 1944, he and four others aboard a B-25C Mitchell bomber took off from Ajaccio, Corsica, on a routine courier mission to Ghisonaccia, Corsica.

Welcome Home CPL Roy Stewart RIP

Soldier Missing from Korean 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 Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

    He is Cpl. Roy Stewart, U.S. Army, of Jackson, Miss.  His funeral will be held Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.  Representatives from the Army's mortuary office met with the next-of-kin of Stewart to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Army.

    Stewart was assigned to Company A, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, deployed to North Korea near Kujang-dong.  In late November 1950, he was captured by enemy forces and

Welcome Home 1LT Paul G. Magers, CWO Donald L. Wann RIP

Soldiers Missing in Action from Vietnam War 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. 

    U.S. Army 1st Lt. Paul G. Magers of Sidney, Neb., will be buried on Aug. 27 in Laurel, Mont., and Army Chief Warrant Officer Donald L. Wann of Shawnee, Okla., will be buried on Aug. 21 in Fort Gibson, Okla. 

    On June 1, 1971, both men were flying aboard an AH-1 Cobra gunship in support of an emergency extraction of an Army ranger team in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam.  After the rangers were extracted, helicopters were

Welcome Home Sgt. John P. Bonnassiolle, U.S. Army RIP

Airman Missing in Action from WWII 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 Sgt. John P. Bonnassiolle, U.S. Army, of Oakland, Calif.  He will be buried Tuesday in San Francisco.

On April 29, 1944, he was aboard a B-24J Liberator with nine other crewmen.

Australian World War I soldier remembered at Menin Gate

Thursday, 22 July 2010  Private Alan James Mather of the 33rd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, was today remembered at the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, Ieper (Ypres), Belgium.

Private Mather's relatives, represented by great niece, Kim Blomfield and nephew John Mather, today joined Dr Brendan Nelson Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg and the Chief of Army Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie in a solemn remembrance ceremony led by the Last Post Association. 

Welcome Home Army PVT Thomas D. Costello RIP

Soldier Missing In Action from World War I Identified

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

  Army Pvt. Thomas D. Costello of New York, N.Y., will be buried on July 12 at Arlington National Cemetery. 

    On Sept. 16, 1918, as part of the 60^th Infantry Regiment, 1^st Brigade, 5^th Infantry Division, Costello encountered heavy enemy artillery barrage and machine gun fire near Jaulny, France, in a wooded area known as Bois de Bonvaux. 

Seven Missing WWII Airmen Identified

Welcome Home  Army CPT Joseph M. Olbinski, 1Lt Joseph J. Auld, 1Lt Robert M. Anderson, TSgt Clarence E. Frantz, PFC Richard M. Dawson, PVT Robert L. Crane, PVT Fred G. Fagan  RIP

The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of seven servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors. 

Army Capt. Joseph M. Olbinski, Chicago; 1st Lt. Joseph J. Auld, Floral Park, N.Y.; 1st Lt. Robert M. Anderson, Millen, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Clarence E. Frantz, Tyrone, Penn.; Pfc. Richard M. Dawson, Haynesville, Va.; Pvt. Robert L. Crane, Sacramento, Calif.; and Pvt. Fred G. Fagan, Piedmont, Ala., were identified and all are to be interred July 15 in Arlington National Cemetery. 

On May 23, 1944, the men were aboard a C-47A Skytrain that departed Dinjan, India, on an airdrop mission to resupply Allied forces near Myitkyina, Burma. 

Welcome Home U.S. Navy Ensign Robert W. Langwell RIP

Sailor Missing From Korean War 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 are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

U.S. Navy Ensign Robert W. Langwell, of Columbus, Ind., will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on July 12.  On Oct. 1, 1950, Langwell was serving on the minesweeper USS Magpie

WWI Marine finally returns home

6/23/2010  By Lance Cpl. Benjamin Harris, Headquarters Marine Corps 

ARLINGTON, Va.  — The remains of a Marine killed in action during World War I, were laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., June 23, after they were presumed missing for more than 90 years.

“It goes to show our country has not forgotten those who were lost overseas,” said Navy Capt. Guy Lee, the regional chaplain for Naval District Washington.

ARLINGTON, Va.-Navy Capt. Guy Lee, the regional chaplain for Naval District Washington, leads a procession of Marines carrying the remains of 1st Sgt. George Humphrey, a Marine who fought and died in World War I, to his final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., June 23, 2010. Humphrey died Sept. 15, 1918, during combat operations in WWI, but his remains were missing until two French citizens found them in September and notified authorities., Lance Cpl. Benjamin Harris, 6/23/2010

The remains of 1st Sgt. George Humphrey, a native of Ithaca, N.Y., were found in a wooded area in northeastern France in September, said Gunnery Sgt. William Dixon, the funeral director at Marine Barracks Washington.

According to a Department of Defense release, Humphrey, who was with 6th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Brigade, attached to U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division, was killed Sept. 15, 1918, during the battle of Saint-Mihiel, the first major American-led offensive of the war. His Marines hastily buried him the next day. A year later, one of the Marines sent a letter to Humphrey’s brother with details of where the first sergeant was buried, but attempts to recover the body were unsuccessful. The family said they still kept thinking of him.

“My mother used to point at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and say ‘That could be George,’” said Edith Scott, whose mother was Humphrey’s cousin.