WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Clifford E. Keeney, 26, of York, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, was accounted for June 12, 2025.
Keeney's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In 1944, Keeney, a top turret gunner aboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress” bomber, was assigned to 327th Bombardment Squadron, 92d Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force. He was reportedly killed in action on Sept. 13 during a bombardment mission to Merseburg, Germany, after is aircraft was shot down by enemy aircraft fire anti-aircraft fire and crashed in the vicinity of Neustädt, Germany. Eight of the nine crew members onboard were killed and buried by German forces in a cemetery in Neustaedt. Keeney’s remains were not accounted for after the war.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. In June 1945, an AGRC investigation team was able to exhume and transport the remains of the aircraft’s pilot to the U.S. Military Cemetery at Margraten, Netherlands. However, none of the other remains recovered could be identified as Keeney.
In 1991, a resident near the Neustädt cemetery discovered an identification tag belonging to one of Keeney's crew members along with parachute remnants. The resident was interviewed years later but unfortunately, German laws prevented further investigation. In 2007, a second investigation team was sent to the site and recommended it for excavation.
In September 2008, a recovery team excavated the area and discovered possible remains and material evidence, which was sent to a DPAA laboratory for analysis and resulted in the identification of four of Keeney’s crew members.
In May 2024, a DPAA recovery team returned to the area and continued excavation of the Neustädt cemetery. The team recovered possible remains and life support equipment. After completing excavations in June 2024, all recovered evidence was transferred to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
To identify Keeney’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Keeney’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Margraten, Netherlands, along with the others still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Keeney will be buried in Jacobus, Pennsylvania in November 2025.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their partnership in this mission.
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/dodpaa, https://www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaa, https://www.instagram.com/dodpaa/, or https://x.com/dodpaa.
Keeney’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XeBTEA0.
Read Keeney's initial ID announcement here: Keeney.