Navy Reserve Radioman 2nd Class Julius H.O. Pieper, killed during World War II, has now been accounted for.
On June 19, 1944, Pieper was a member of Landing Ship Tank Number 523 (LST-523), off the coast of Normandy, France. The ship exploded and sank after striking an underwater mine, killing Pieper. In the years following the incident, his remains were not recovered or identified. Pieper's twin brother, Radioman 2nd Class Ludwig J. Pieper, was also killed in the attack, but his remains were recovered after the incident and buried at the Normandy American Cemetery in France.
Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days
prior to scheduled funeral services.
DPAA is grateful to the French salvage divers and the American Battle
Monuments Commission for their partnership in this recovery.
Pieper's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Normandy American Cemetery in France, an American Battle Monuments Commission site. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
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, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420.