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News & Stories
News | March 8, 2019

DPAA Makes 200th Identification from USS Oklahoma Unknown Remains

By DPAA Public Affairs

A series of large posters hang in the conference room of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory located at Offutt Air Base, Nebraska. The heading on each of the posters states “USS OKLAHOMA.” Underneath the headings are neat rows of printed rectangular frames.  Each one represents a person who was unaccounted for when the USS Oklahoma was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

 

Some of the frames show a U.S. Navy logo or U.S. Marine Corps insignia. Some of the rectangles show a photo of a serviceman, usually in military uniform. Nearly 400 frames cover the posters.

 

For the team of scientists and experts working at the lab, the posters serve as a visual reminder of the human element of their work to identify those USS Oklahoma crewmen who remain unaccounted-for.

 

“When we are working on a loss, we work in the blind, which is to say we don’t have any information about that person in order to avoid biasing our analyses,” said Dr. Carrie Brown, who leads the DPAA USS Oklahoma project. “But once a loss has been identified, we are able to access that information, including photographs of the service member.  If you look around our workspaces, you will see many photographs hanging at our desks; these represent cases we have personally worked on.  These photographs, along with those on the posters, serve as poignant reminders of who these men were:  they were someone’s son, brother, husband, father, uncle, cousin, or friend. It reminds us that our work is important because it brings answers to those who are longing to know what happened to the person they cared about.”

 

Thanks to the work of Dr. Brown’s team, the remains of 200 previously unknown crewmen from the USS Oklahoma have now been returned to their families for proper burial and their families have those long-awaited answers.

 

DPAA identified U. S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Billy James Johnson on Feb. 26, 2019, marking him as the 200th crewman to be identified from the estimated 388 individual sets of remains that were designated as unknowns from the USS Oklahoma.

 

The story of the USS Oklahoma’s lost crewmen is an evolving history lesson that began on what President Franklin D. Roosevelt called “a date that will live in infamy.”

 

“On behalf the U.S. Navy, I express my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to the scientists and experts who have committed the tireless hours to identify the remains of those lost aboard USS Oklahoma,” said Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Greg Slavonic, an Oklahoma native and retired Navy admiral. “While the nation owes a debt to the families that can never fully be repaid, identifying those lost and returning them to their families is a meaningful step in gaining closure and properly honoring the Sailors and Marines of the USS Oklahoma.”

 

The USS Oklahoma, moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, was sunk by Japanese aircraft that delivered numerous torpedo hits to the ship’s hull. When the ensuing chaos subsided enough to allow an accurate headcount of the ship’s personnel, a total of 429 crewmen – 415 Sailors and 14 Marines - could not be accounted for and were presumed to have been killed during the attack.


Work to right and salvage the ship was conducted in the few years immediately following the attack. The USS Oklahoma was stabilized enough to place the ship in dry dock. But repairs needed to return the ship to duty were deemed too expensive and it was eventually sold as scrap.

 

From December 1941 through June 1944, Navy personnel recovered remains from the USS Oklahoma, interring them in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries in Hawaii.

When World War II ended, the United States government launched the largest initiative ever undertaken by any nation to repatriate its war dead. The U.S. Army was the branch of service given responsibility for locating and identifying all U.S. service casualties. To accomplish this task, the Army created the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS).

 

As part of its global mission, in September, 1947, the AGRS disinterred the USS Oklahoma remains from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Those efforts yielded individual identifications for only 35 men – 32 Sailors and three Marines – from the remains believed to be those of the USS Oklahoma’s missing crew members, leaving a total of 394 from the ship still unaccounted for.

 

After AGRS officials determined that no other identifications could be made, in 1950, the remains associated with the USS Oklahoma were placed in 62 caskets and buried as Unknowns in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, commonly called “the Punchbowl,” in Honolulu.

The USS Oklahoma Unknowns lay undisturbed for nearly 50 years until Ray Emory, a Pearl Harbor survivor, began to conduct some research at the request of the family of an unaccounted-for USS Oklahoma Sailor. Emory found records that indicated at least one set of the USS Oklahoma remains could be individually identified if the remains could be disinterred for a thorough forensic examination.

 

"In 2000 the 'USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor' committee was established by fellow Oklahomans to build a Memorial on Ford Island to recognize those 429 sailors who perished that fateful day and to especially recognize the 388 unknown Sailors and Marines.  The Memorial was dedicated in 2007 - the Centennial Year of the State and each year since on December 7th there is a special ceremony honor to all those who served on the battleship Oklahoma," according to Slavonic who was co-chair of this committee.

 

In 2003, one of the 62 caskets containing remains from the USS Oklahoma was disinterred from the Punchbowl to conduct analysis on the remains to test Emory’s assertions. The remains from the single casket were accessioned into what was known then as the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii. The staff analyzed the remains using the latest technology and concluded that they came from more than 100 individuals, giving a good indication of the extent that remains from the ship were comingled during previous handling and identification attempts.

 

The laboratory made its first individual identification from the remains in that single casket in 2008, ultimately identifying a total of five Sailors from that casket between 2008 and 2010.

 

The laboratory was also able to identify one more USS Oklahoma Sailor in 2007 by identifying a single set of Unknown remains that had been found in the waters of Pearl Harbor and buried individually. That disinterment was also based on research conducted by Emory.

 

In 2012, based on the information and experience gained through those six identifications, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command – the organization charged with running the Hawaii lab at that time – put forth a proposal to disinter the remaining 61 caskets of USS Oklahoma unknowns in hopes of finding the 377 Sailors and 11 Marines who remained unaccounted for.

 

In 2015, Department of Defense officials issued the orders allowing a phased disinterment of the remaining USS Oklahoma caskets from the Punchbowl. On November 10, 2015, the last of the USS Oklahoma unknown caskets was removed from the cemetery, thanks to a partnership between DPAA and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Its contents, along with the remains from the other 60 caskets and the unidentified material from the initial casket, were eventually transferred to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Base. All of the material was accessioned into the lab under a unifying moniker: The DPAA USS Oklahoma Project.

 

"The staff at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is honored to assist DPAA with the disinterment process for the USS Oklahoma unknowns. Our Veterans and their families deserve this commitment from the U.S. Government to bring them closure,” said Jim Horton, Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

 

The 200-identification benchmark is the result of a lot of hard work by many people.

 

To help get the project proposal approved, Navy POW/MIA Branch pushed to contact family members to provide DNA reference samples, resulting in nearly 85% of the ship’s missing personnel having a sample in the vault before the identification processing began.

 

"Navy POW/MIA Branch is honored to be a part of the entire group of professionals who work so diligently in the effort to account for missing persons from past conflicts.  This milestone could not have been achieved without the hard work, dedication, and determination of past and current employees of Navy POW/MIA Branch and NPC's leadership.  Delivering the good news of an identification and assisting families with burials is the highlight of our work.  When you meet a family in person, and they are overcome with joy, it really drives home the reason why we are all doing this.  We look forward to our continued partnership with DPAA and working this honorable mission,” said Rudy Gonzales, Branch Head, Navy POW/MIA.

 

The DPAA laboratory staff has worked diligently to handle what to date is DPAA’s single biggest influx of remains. For example, the initial phase assessment of the remains consisting of almost 13,000 skeletal elements took nearly a year to complete.


The laboratory staff also collected and submitted nearly 5,000 samples for DNA testing that were sent to the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System's DNA Operations (AFMES-DO). AFMES-DO is the sole Department of Defense DNA testing laboratory tasked with assisting current and past conflicts human identification efforts.

"It is remarkable for us to reach the 200th identification," said Mr. Sean Patterson, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System's DNA Operations Quality Management Section DNA Analyst. "We've identified so many people in a short amount of time using new technology such as the next-generation sequencing as well as with conventional technology. It is a huge boost of morale when we put a name and picture to the identification. This is especially significant for our newer analysts who spent the first few years of their careers identifying the 200 service members. We're looking forward to filling up the board with all red or green and no white."

 

The team at the AFMES-DO lab also maintains a picture board featuring the USS Oklahoma losses. Each missing man from the ship is represented by a space on the board. When one is identified, the lab staff changes the background color of the space to indicate the person named there has been identified.

 

But none of it may have happened if not for the work of Emory, who passed away August 20, 2018, at the age of 97.  His family held a small funeral service and he was laid to rest on Dec. 8, 2018 in a private Hawaiian cemetery not far from Pearl Harbor.

 

“As a Pearl Harbor survivor, Ray had a tremendous sense of duty to his comrades who did not survive that historic day,” said DPAA Director Kelly McKeague. “He had a special connection with the families and felt that he had to do everything within his power to provide them answers.”

 

The 200 identifications bring a close to a wide range of compelling stories. One was a U.S. Marine who died while firing his pistol at the Japanese planes attacking the ship. One had made plans to attend a movie with his brother who was aboard another ship also moored at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. His brother watched the USS Oklahoma explode and turn, wondering if he would ever see his sibling again. One served aboard the USS Oklahoma with his brother, who remains missing. One was retired from the Navy after serving in World War I but had been called back to duty for World War II and assigned to the USS Oklahoma. Four were from the state that gave the ship its name. All were buried with full military honors.

 

DPAA’s mission statement says that it shall provide the fullest possible accounting for personnel missing from past conflicts.

 

As Brown looks at the poster boards, she is hopeful that more answers are soon to come for the nearly fifty percent of the service members depicted who have yet to be identified.

 

DPAA is grateful to the steadfast partnerships of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System and the Department of the Navy, who have collectively been the backbone of the USS Oklahoma identifications. It is through this effort that the accounting community has been able to honor the sacrifices of the USS Oklahoma Sailors and Marines and their families who pushed for the fullest possible accounting of their loved ones.

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF USS OKLAHOMA IDENTIFICATIONS: (Please note that in some USS Oklahoma identifications, the primary next of kin has yet to be notified, and therefore the names will not be released at this time.)

 

Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Marvin B. Adkins, 20, of Los Angeles, California

Seaman 1st Class Willard H. Aldridge, 20, of Sitka, Kansas

Seaman 1st Class Leon Arickx, 22, of London, Minnesota

Molder 1st Class Kenneth B. Armstrong, 36, of Seattle, Washington

Seaman 2nd Class John C. Auld, 23, of New Castle, England

Chief Warrant Officer John A. Austin, 36, of Warrior, Alabama

Radioman 2nd Class Walter H. Backman, 22, of Wilton, North Dakota

Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Cecil E. Barncord, 24, of Wilson Township, Kansas

Seaman 2nd Class Wilbur C. Barrett, 26, of El Dorado, Kansas

Seaman 1st Class Earl P. Baum, 19, of Chicago, Illinois

Navy Radioman 3rd Class Howard W. Bean, 27, of Everett, Washington

Fireman 3rd Class Robert J. Bennett, 18, of Monona, Iowa

USMC Pvt. Waldean Black, 20, of Spearman, Texas

Fireman 2nd Class James B. Boring, 21, of Vales Mills, Ohio

Navy Mess Attendant 1st Class Ralph M. Boudreaux, 20, of New Orleans, Louisiana

Fireman 2nd Class Lawrence A. Boxrucker, 24, of Dorchester, Wisconsin

Seaman 1st Class Oris V. Brandt, 20, of Rensselaer, Indiana

Seaman 1st Class William G. Bruesewitz, 26, of Almena, Wisconsin

Seaman 1st Class Millard Burk, Jr., 19, of Shelby Gap, Kentucky

Mess Attendant 2nd Class Archie Callahan, Jr., 19, of Atlanta, Georgia

Fireman 1st Class Raymond R. Camery, 26, of Newman, California

Seaman 2nd Class William V. Campbell, 20, of Elizabethtown, Tennessee

Seaman 1st Class Murry R. Cargile, 21, of Robersonville, North Carolina

Machinist's Mate 1st Class Harold F.Carney, 23, of New Diggins, Wisconsin

Fireman 1st Class Charles R. Casto, 20, of East Liverpool, Ohio

Chief Pharmacist's Mate James T. Cheshire, 40, of New Hope, Kentucky

Storekeeper 2nd Class Gerald L. Clayton, 21, of Central City, Nebraska

Seaman 2nd Class Floyd Clifford, 20, of Douglas, Kansas

Seaman 1st Class George A. Coke, 18, of Arlington, Texas

Fireman 1st Class Grant C. Cook, 20, of Cozad, Nebraska

Storekeeper 1st Class John W. Craig, 26, of Dyer, Tennessee

USMC Pfc. Alva J. Cremean, 21, of Pueblo, Colorado

Fireman 3rd Class Warren H. Crim, 20, of McMinninville, Tennessee

Fireman 1st Class Samuel W. Crowder, 35, of Louisville, Ky.

Storekeeper 2nd Class Glenn C. Cyriack, 20, of Pipestone County, Minn.

Musician 2nd Class Francis E. Dick, 20, of Maywood, Neb.

Shopfitter 3rd Class John M. Donald, 28, of Ball Ground, Ga.

Fireman 2nd Class Carl D. Dorr, 27, of Anderson, S.C.

Seaman 2nd Class Bernard V. Doyle, 19, of Esbon, Kan.

Steward's Mate 1st Clsas Cyril I. Dusset, 21, of New Orleans, La.

Storekeeper 3rd Class Wallace E. Eakes, 22, of Caney, Kan.

Machinist's Mate 1st Class Eugene K. Eberhardt, 29, of Newark, N.J.

Seaman 2nd Class David B. Edmonston, 22, of Portland, Ore.

Radioman 3rd Class Bruce H. Ellison, 21, of Pousbo, Wash.

Ensign John C. England, 20, of Alhambra, Calif.

Steward Mate 1st Class Ignacio C. Farfan, 21, of Agana, Guam

Fireman 1st Class Lawrence H. Fecho, 20, of Willow City, N.D.

Ensign William M. Finnegan, 44, of Bessmer, Mich.

Steward 2nd Class Felicismo Florese, 33, of Nabua, Camarines Sur, Philippines

Seaman 1st Class Walter C. Foley, 18, of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Fireman 2nd Class George C. Ford, 25, of Lidderdale, Iowa

Fireman 1st Class Michael Galajdik, 25, of Joliet, Ill.

Fireman 1st Class Martin A. Gara, 20, of Chicago, Ill.

2nd Lt. Harry H. Gaver, Jr., 24, of Annapolis, Md.

Fireman 1st Class Leonard R. Geller, 21, of Yale, Okla.

Seaman 2nd Class George T. George, 26, of St. Louis, Mo.

Electrician's Mate 3rd Class George H. Gibson, 20, of Winchester, Kan.

Radioman 2nd Class Quentin J. Gifford, 22, of Sibley, Iowa

Machinist's Mate 1st Class Arthur Glenn, 43, of Lonaconing, Md.

Warrant Officer Daryl H. Goggin, 34, of Everett, Wash.

Radioman 3rd Class Jack R. Goldwater, 19, of San Fransisco, Calif.

Seaman 2nd Class Charles C. Gomez, 19, of Slidell, La.

Seaman 1st Class Clifford G. Goodwin, 24, of Marion Township, Missouri

Chief Petty Officer Duff Gordon, 52, of Hudson, Wisconsin

Fireman 1st Class Claude O. Gowey, 20, of Onawa, Iowa

Water Tender 2nd Class Edgar D. Gross, 39, of Athens, Alabama

Seaman 2nd Class Vernon N. Grow, 25, of Ashland, Oregon

Seaman 1st Class Daniel L. Guisinger, Jr., 21, of Everett, Washington

USMCR Pvt. Ted Hall, 24, of Kan. City, Missouri

Shopfitter 3rd Class Francis L. Hannon, 20, of Madison County, Indiana

Machinist's Mate 1st Class George Hanson, 32, of Milton, Pennsylvania

Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Charles H. Harris, 22, of Pine, Louisiana

Chief Petty Officer Albert E. Hayden, 44, of Mechanicsville, Maryland

Seaman 2nd Class Harold L. Head, 20, of Browning, Missouri

Seaman 1st Class Robert W. Headington, 19, of Bay City, Michigan

Gunner's Mate 2nd Class William F. Hellstern, 20, of Peoria, Illinois

Gunner's Mate 1st Class George Herbert, 37, of Fall River, Massachusetts

Ensign Joseph P. Hittorff, 25, of Collingswood, New Jersey

Chief Storekeeper Herbert J. Hoard, 36, of DeSoto, Missouri

Fireman 3rd Class Kenneth L. Holm, 29, of Clarkfield, Minnesota

USMC Pfc. Robert K. Holmes, 19, of Salt Lake City, Utah

Seaman 1st Class James W. Holzhauer, 23, of Virginia

Fireman 3rd Class Edwin C. Hopkins, 19, of Keene, New Hampshire

Seaman 1st Class Frank A. Hryniewicz, 20, of Palmer, Masssachusetts

Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Lorentz E. Hultgren, 23, of Hoquiam, Washington

Fireman 3rd Class Glaydon I.C. Iverson, 24, of Emmons, Minnesota

Seaman 2nd Class Challis R. James, 18, of New Boston, Ohio

Fireman 3rd Class Kenneth L. Jayne, 26, of Patchogue, New York

Fireman 1st Class Billy J. Johnson, 22, of Caney, Kentucky

Seaman 1st Class Joseph M. Johnson, 22, of Columbus, North Dakota

Fireman 1st Class Jim H. Johnston, 22, of Wesson, Mississippi

Machinist's Mate 1st Class Fred M. Jones, 31, of North Lake, Michigan

Lt. Julian B. Jordan, 37, of Dawson, Georgia

Seaman 1st Class Wesley V. Jordan, 23, of Deep River Township, Iowa

Fireman 1st Class Albert U. Kane, 26, of Fort Worth, Texas

Seaman 2nd Class John A. Karli, 19, of San Marino, California

USMC Pvt. Vernon P. Keaton, 18, of Lubbock, Texas

Radioman 3rd Class Howard V. Keffer, 26, of Los Angeles, California

Seaman 1st Class Donald G. Keller, 20, of Cambridge, Ohio

Seaman 2nd Class Joe M. Kelley, 20, of Springfield, Missouri

Fireman 1st Class William H. Kennedy, 24, of Titonka, Iowa

Fireman 1st Class Elmer T. Kerestes, 22, of Holding Township, Minnesota

Baker 2nd Class David L. Kesler, 23, of Berthoud, Colorado

Electrician's Mate 3rd Class William A. Klasing, 19, of St. Louis, Missouri

Coxswain Verne F. Knipp, 22, of Salida, Colorado

Carpenter's Mate 3rd Class William L. Kvidera, 22, of Tama County, Iowa

Musician 1st Class Elliot D. Larsen, 25, of Monroe, Utah

Fireman 3rd Class Willard I. Lawson, 25, of Middletown, Ohio

Seaman 2nd Class Myron K. Lehman, 20, of Gann Valley, South Dakota

Fireman 3rd Class Gerald G. Lehman, 18, of Hancock, Michigan

Buglemaster 2nd Class Lionel W. Lescault, 28, of Massachusetts

Fireman 3rd Class John H. Lindsley, 22, of Waukegan, Ill.

Fireman 3rd Class Alfred E. Livingston, 23, of Worthington, Indiana

Water Tender 2nd Class Clarence M. Lockwood, 21, of Smithton, Arkansas

Machinist's Mate 1st Class Vernon T. Luke, 43, of Green Bay, Wisconsin

Musician 1st Class Henri C. Mason, 48, of Corwith, Iowa

Seaman 1st Class Joseph K. Maule, 18, of Bloomfield, Nebraska

Water Tender 1st Class Edwin B. McCabe, 27, of Newport, North Carolina

Fire Controlman Donald R. McCloud, 21, of Wayne, West Virginia

Fireman 1st Class Bert E. McKeeman, 25, of Council Bluffs, Iowa

Seaman 1st Class Hale McKissack, 37, of Talpa, Texas

Machinist's Mate 1st Class Earl Melton, 24, of Lakewood, New Jersey

Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Archie T. Miles, 22, of Elmwood, Illinois

Seaman 1st Class George E. Naegle, 22, of LaCrosse, Wisconsin

Fireman 1st Class Elmer D. Nail, 23, of Kan. City, Missouri

Fire Controlman 1st Class Paul A. Nash, 26, of Carlisle, Indiana

Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Don O. Neher, 28, of Kansas City, Missouri

Gunner's Mate 1st Class Arthur C. Neuenschwander, 33, of Fessenden, North Dakota

Seaman 2nd Class Carl Nichols, 20, of Glen Alum, West Virginia

Fireman 1st Class Frank E. Nicoles, 24, of Eau Claire, Wiscinsun

Signalman 3rd Class Charles E. Nix, 26, of Danville, Illinois

Fireman 1st Class Charles R. Ogle, 20, of Mountain View, Missouri

Seaman 1st Class Camillus M. O'Grady, 19, of Saline County, Kansas

Storekeeper 3rd Class Eli Olsen, 23, of Audubon, Iowa

Fireman 1st Class Jarvis G. Outland, 22, of Murfreesboro, North Carolina

Fireman 1st Class Millard C. Pace, 20, of Vanndale, Arkansas

Seaman 2nd Class Dale F. Pearce, 21, of Dennis, Kansas

Water Tender 1st Class Stephen Pepe, 43, of Bridgeport, Connecticut

Seaman 2nd Class James N. Phipps, 24, of Rainier, Oregon

Fireman 1st Class Gerald H. Pirtle, 19, of El Dorado, Kansas

Seaman 2nd Class Rudolph V. Piskuran, 19, of Elyria, Ohio

Seaman 1st Class Herbert J. Poindexter, 24, of Jacksonville, Florida

Fire Controlman 3rd Class Robert L. Pribble, 19, of St. Petersburg, Florida

Ensign Lewis B. Pride, 23, of Madisonville, Kentucky

Seaman 1st Class Paul S. Raimond, 20, of Converse, Louisiana

Water Tender 2nd Class Porter L. Rich, 27, of Lake Preston, South Dakota

Seaman 1st Class Harold W. Roesch, 25, of Rockford, Illinois

Fireman 1st Class Walter B. Rogers, 22, of Bison, South Dakota

Yeoman 3rd Class Edmund T. Ryan, 21, of Wilbraham, Massachusetts

Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Roman W. Sadlowski, 21, of Greenfield, Massachusetts

Seaman 1st Class Kenneth H. Sampson, 20, of Kansas City, Missouri

Chief Machinist's Mate Dean Stanley Sanders, 38, of Nelsonville, Ohio

Seaman 1st Class John E. Savidge, 20, of Linden, New Jersey

Fireman 1st Class Walter F. Schleiter, 22, of Freedom, Pennsylvania

Lt. j.g. Aloysius H. Schmitt, 32, of St. Lucas, Iowa

Pharmacist's Mate 1st Class John H. Schoonover, 39, of Port Edwards, Wisconsin

Fireman 1st Class Chester E. Seaton, 20, of Omaha, Nebraska

Ensign Verdi Sederstrom, 25, of Montevideo, Minnesota

Fire Controlman 1st Class Edward J. Shelden, 29, of Hamilton, Illinois

Seaman 1st Class Edward F. Slapikas, 26, of Wanamie, Pennsylvania

Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Merle A. Smith, 20, of Castle Rock, Washington

Water Tender 1st Class Walter H. Sollie, 37, of Myrtlewood, Alabama

Seaman 1st Class James C. Solomon, 23, of Holdenville, Oklahoma

Seaman 1st Class Kirby R. Stapleton, 24, of Chillicothe, Missouri

Machinist's Mate 1st Class Ulis C. Steely, 25, of Whitley County, Kentucky

Ensign Charles M. Stern, 26, of Albany, New York

Ensign Lewis S. Stockdale, 27, of Anaconda, Montana

Seaman 1st Class Milton R. Surratt, 21, of Greenville, South Carolina

Machinist's Mate 1st Class Charles H. Swanson, 35, of Maywood, California

Seaman 1st Class Monroe Temple, 19, of Des Moines, Iowa

Fireman 1st Class Charles W. Thompson, 19, of Weaubleau, Missouri

Seaman 2nd Class George A. Thompson, 20, of Omaha, Nebraska

Ensign Irvin A.R. Thompson, 24, of Hudson County, New Jersey

Ensign William M. Thompson, 21, of Summit, New Jersey

Fireman 1st Class Lewis F. Tindall, 18, of Nashville, Tennessee

Radioman 3rd Class Dante S. Tini, 19, of Va., Minnesota

Seaman 1st Class Henry G. Tipton, 20, of Oil City, Louisiana

Seaman 1st Class Natale I. Torti, 19, of St. Louis, Missouri

Fire Controlman 3rd Class Victor P. Tumlinson, 19, of Stuart Place, Texas

Fireman 2nd Class Lowell E. Valley, 19, of Ontonagon, Michigan

Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Durrell Wade, 24, of Wentley, Mississippi

Seaman 2nd Class Lewis L. Wagoner, 20, of Douglass County, Missouri

Fireman 3rd Class Robert N. Walkowiak, 20, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Seaman 1st Class Richard L. Watson, 20, of Crossett, Arkansas

Seaman 1st Class William E. Welch, 18, of Springfield, Ohio

Machinist's Mate 1st Class Alfred F. Wells, 32, of Syracuse, New York

Seaman 1st Class Ernest R. West, 22, of Runnells, Iowa

Fireman 2nd Class John D. Wheeler, 26, of Gathier, Arkansas

Seaman 1st Class Eugene W. Wicker, 20, of Coweta, Oklahoma

Seaman 2nd Class George J. Wilcox, 19, of Byram, Mississippi

Seaman 2nd Class Frank Wood, 25, of Jackson, Ohio

Fireman 1st Class Creighton H. Workman, 22, of Riverside, Iowa

Chief Water Tender Paul R. Wright, 41, of Meadville, Missouri

Ensign Eldon P. Wyman, 24, of Portland, Oregon

Seaman 1st Class Robert V. Young, 23, of Good Hope, Illinois

# # #

 

                                                                                     

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Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency PAO
Washington, D.C.
2300 Defense Pentagon
Attn: Outreach and Communications
Washington, D.C. 20301-2300
Email: dpaa.ncr.oc.mbx.public-affairs@mail.mil