WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Leonard J. McNeill, 27, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Oct. 9, 2025.
In the spring of 1945, McNeill served as a tail gunner aboard a Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" bomber assigned to 881st Bombardment Squadron, 500th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy). In early April, during a bombing mission against the Nakajima Aircraft Engine Plant in Musashino City, Japan, the aircraft crashed. The circumstances surrounding the crash are unclear, however, the unit’s records indicate that aircrews on the same mission witnessed one plane explode near the target area before falling to the ground. McNeill survived the crash but was held as a prisoner of war. He perished in the Tokyo Military Prison during a fire on May 26, 1945.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of McNeill'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/dodpaa, https://www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaa,
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