Washington –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Private Rodger D. Andrews, 19, of Gravette, Arkansas, killed during World War II, was accounted for June 5, 2024.
In June 1944, Andrews was assigned to Company C, 37th Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theater during World War II. On the morning of June 6, 1944, British, Canadian, and American armed forces came ashore on the beaches of Normandy, France, during Operation OVERLORD. On the beach code-named "Omaha," the immediate objectives of engineers like Andrews were to clear German defenses, obstacles, and mines, then establish exit roads off the beach for the invading ground troops and armored vehicles. Company C’s efforts enabled the first troops to move off the beach and press the fight into fortified German positions further inland. At some point during the invasion, Andrews was killed but due to the chaos of battle and intensity of the fighting, it was unclear what happened to him. Even after Allied forces secured Omaha Beach, Andrews' remains were not identified.
Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, began looking for missing American personnel in the Normandy area. Among the Unknowns AGRC teams recovered from Omaha Beach was a set of remains, designated X-48 St. Laurent (X-48), that were found to be wearing a belt with the initials "R.D.A.," which potentially associated with Andrews. However, because items of clothing could have been traded amongst different servicemembers and due to physical similarities between X-48 and other missing servicemembers being too close for officials to make a definite association, the AGRC was unable to identify the remains. X-48 was ultimately interred as an Unknown on Dec. 11, 1948, in the U.S. Military Cemetery St. Laurent, known today as Normandy American Cemetery.
In December 2014, DPAA received a request from the Andrews family to devote more time to locating their loved one. Historians reviewing other Omaha Beach losses reassessed the circumstances of Andrews’ death, noting the initials on the belt found with X-48 were a possible association. In addition, historians concluded other clothing items the Unknown was wearing could have been issued to a member of a unit like the 37th Engineer Combat Battalion. After additional historical and scientific comparisons between the personnel data of missing servicemembers from Omaha Beach and the attributes of X-48, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission workers exhumed the Unknown in March 2019 and transferred the remains to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
To identify Andrews’ remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological, dental, and other circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and mitochondrial genome (mtG) analysis.
Andrews’ name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Andrews will be buried on a date to be later determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
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 or find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or https://www.linkedin.com/company/defense-pow-mia-accounting-agency.
Andrews’ profile can be viewed here https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000Xew6EAC.