WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Capt. Donald H. Froemke, 33, killed during World War II, was accounted for Aug. 24, 2022.
In the fall of 1944, Froemke was assigned to Company B, 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. He was reported killed in action on Oct. 5 during Operation MARKET GARDEN when his unit was attacked by German forces near Opheusden, The Netherlands. Due to the fighting, his body was unable to be recovered.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, conducted several searches of the area. In March 1946, the visited a Dutch civilian cemetery to recover several sets of American remains buried there. A cross with Froemke’s name marked one of the graves. Within the grave was a set of remains wearing U.S. Army uniform and equipment. However, there was no other personal effects or ID tags. The remains were designated Unknown X-3325 Neuville, but were later declared to be Froemke based on four pieces of circumstantial evidence. These remains were sent to Yakima, Washington, to be buried per Froemke’s family’s wishes.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or https://www.linkedin.com/company/defense-pow-mia-accounting-agency.