WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Air Force Capt. Howard E. O’Dell, 30, who was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for April 29, 2025.
In the summer of 1950, O’Dell was a member of 36th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 8th Fighter-Bomber Group, U.S. Fifth Air Force. He was reported missing in action on July 19, in the vicinity of Taejon, Republic of Korea (South Korea), after his aircraft crashed upon landing. He was never reported as a prisoner of war and subsequent searches of the battlefield failed to recover his remains. In January 1954, the Air Force determined that there was enough evidence to declare that O’Dell had died in combat. He was declared non-recoverable on Jan 16, 1956.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of O'Dell'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 or on social media at , , , or .