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ID Announcements

Press Release | Dec. 18, 2024

USS West Virginia Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Frye, N.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that Navy Mess Attendant 3rd Class (Matt3c) Neil D. Frye, 20, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 27, 2024.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Frye was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS West Virginia sustained multiple torpedo hits, but timely counter-flooding measures taken by the crew prevented it from capsizing, and it came to rest on the shallow harbor floor. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Frye. 

This is an initial ID Announcement. The complete accounting of Frye’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving their country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaahttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaa,
https://www.instagram.com/dodpaa/, or https://x.com/dodpaa.