WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pfc. Vito Luceno, Jr., 22, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Feb. 5, 2026.
In the summer of 1944, Luceno was a member of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), better known as Merrill’s Marauders. He went missing July 1 during the Battle of Myitkyina. Unfortunately, the limited records that survived the battle don’t have details of precisely how or where he was lost. Luceno’s remains were never identified and he was declared non-recoverable in September 1949.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Luceno’s case will be published once his family receives a full briefing.
For additional information on the War Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while service their country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaa, www.instagram.com/dodpaa/, or www.x.com/dodpaa.
Luceno’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000Lm4KEAS.