WASHINGTON –
Navy Reserve Lt. j.g. Irvin E. Rink, killed during World War II, has now been accounted for.
On August 4, 1943, Rink was a member of Fighting Squadron Twenty Seven (VF-27), when eight pilots flying F4F-4 Wildcat aircraft took off from the Russell Islands, Solomon Islands, to escort a Catalina seaplane on a mission to Enogai Inlet, New Georgia Island. As the seaplane attempted to land at Enogai Inlet, the escort aircraft were attacked by Japanese fighter planes. Following the battle, the element returned to the Russell Islands, however Rink did not return. He was reported missing in action on August 4, 1943. Based on a lack of information regarding his whereabouts, he was declared deceased on January 8, 1946.
Interment services are pending; a formal notification will be released 7-10days prior to scheduled funeral services.
Rink's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at an American Battle Monuments Commission site along with the others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
DPAA is grateful to Mark Roche, an American diver, for his assistance in this recovery.
For more information about DPAA, visit www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, or call 703-699-1420.