March 30, 2021

Nearly 80 years after Pearl Harbor, a sailor’s remains are going home to NC (via The Idaho Statesman)

In many ways, the obituary of William Eugene Blanchard that ran in Sunday’s Idaho Statesman was a standard one: It noted his military service as a Boilermaker 1st Class in the U.S. Navy, the medals he earned, survivors, services and where to send donations.But one thing stood out: The obituary came nearly 80 years after Blanchard’s death, on a date

March 25, 2021

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Chaplain Emil J. Kapaun (via Defense.gov)

Army Chaplain Emil Kapaun inspired his men during the Korean War with calm, courageous leadership, instilling in his fellow prisoners of war a desire to stay strong — even after he no longer could. His actions eventually earned him the nation's highest military honor, as well as a potential path to sainthood.Kapaun was born April 20, 1916, in rural

March 24, 2021

Bring the Buffalo Soldiers Home (via Fold3)

The 92nd Infantry Division, also known as Buffalo Soldiers, was the only Black infantry division to see combat in Europe during WWII. They served as part of the U.S. Fifth Army in Italy’s Po Valley and the northern Apennine Mountains, where they helped penetrate the Gothic Line (Germany’s last major line of defense against Allied forces pushing

March 22, 2021

78 years after Alaska airman went missing in World War II, his remains are returned to his family (via Anchorage Daily News)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Growing up, David Bass knew his uncle Alfred “Fred” Turgeon only by the photo on his grandmother’s dresser.The 23-year-old airman from Cordova was lost when his plane was shot down in 1943 over Romania.Turgeon was one of five Alaskans whose remains were not recovered after World War II. But a few weeks ago, Bass got a phone call

March 9, 2021

New exhibit opens at Pearl Harbor National Memorial (via KITV4 Island News)

HONOLULU — Rear Adm. Darius Banaji, DPAA's Deputy Director for Operations, spoke with KITV4 Island News at the opening of a new DPAA display at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.Click here to watch the video.

March 8, 2021

70 years later, a US Army chaplain's remains are found (via CNN)

Seventy years after renowned Army Chaplain Capt. Emil Kapaun died as a prisoner in the Korean War, his remains have been identified by the Defense Department.Kapaun's remains were identified in Hawaii, his nephew Ray Emil Kapaun told CNN. The family received a call from the US Army with the news on Thursday."I almost started thinking it was a prank

March 3, 2021

An unwavering commitment to bring home missing servicemembers (via The American Legion)

The efforts to bring home men and women missing in action are a sacred obligation, according to Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Director Kelly McKeague.“This mission serves as a marker for those currently in uniform today that their nation will never forget them should they go missing,” McKeague told the National Security Commission at The

Feb. 23, 2021

Offutt lab seeks to identify soldiers who fought and died in segregated unit in WWII (via the Omaha World-Herald)

Vernon Joseph Baker couldn’t help but shed a tear on his day in the spotlight as President Bill Clinton draped the blue-ribboned Medal of Honor around his neck.Baker had earned the medal more than half a century before as a young lieutenant in Italy on April 5, 1945, when he led an all-Black platoon against German troops entrenched on an Italian

Feb. 22, 2021

Remains of Oto sailor who died in Japanese attack on USS Oklahoma identified (via the Sioux City Journal)

SMITHLAND, Iowa -- Gaylyn Beckner never knew her uncle Wesley Brown, never was told much about him.What he was like as a young man, his personality, those details weren't discussed very often. Buckner's mother, Ida Bainbridge, said little about her older brother in their Smithland home."I really didn't know anything. My mother didn't really talk

Feb. 22, 2021

Hawaii families take part in Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency's update on missing loved ones (via KITV-4 Island News)

DPAA director Kelly McKeague joined Good Morning Hawaii from Arlington, Virginia, to talk about fulfilling the agency's mission during the pandemic.The Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) holds events called Family Member Updates (FMU) across the country to keep thousands of families informed of efforts to locate and identify the remains of