THE 

QUEST

Summer 2016 

FULFILLING OUR NATION’S PROMISE
THE DIRECTOR’S NOTES Recently Accounted For From March 19, 2016 through June 15, 2016

WWII

Seaman 2nd Class James N. Phipps, USN

Fireman 3rd Class John H. Lindsley, USN

Seaman 1st Class William E. Welch, USN

Pfc. John F. Prince, USMC

Chief Storekepper Herbert J. Hoard, USN

Fire Controlman 1st Class Paul A. Nash, USN

Ensign Joseph P. Hittorff, USN

Pfc. Anthony Brozyna, USMC

Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Alfred F. Wells, USN

Pvt. John P. Sersha, USA

Cpl. George G. Simmons, USA

Fireman 3rd Class Kenneth L. Jayne, USN

Pfc. James B. Johnson, USMC

Seaman 2nd Class Rudolph V. Piskuran, USN

Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Harold F. Carney, USN

Pfc. John Saini, USMC

Pvt. Palmer S. Haraldson, USMC

Lt. Julian B. Jordan, USN

Fireman 3rd Class Edwin C. Hopkins, USN

Fireman 2nd Class James B. Boring, USN

Pfc. Roland E. Schaede, USMC

Pvt. Harry K. Tye, USMC

Pfc. James F. Mansfield, USMC

Pfc. Charles E. Oetjen, USMC

Ensign John C. England, USN

Ensign William M. Finnegan, USN

1st Lt. Donald L. Beals, USAAF

Capt. Elwood J. Euart, USA

Lt. j.g. Aloysius H. Schmitt, USN

Fireman 1st Class Frank E. Nicoles, USN

Seaman 2nd Class Challis R. James, USN

Warrant Officer Daryl H. Goggin, USN

Pvt. Evans E. Overbey, USAAF

Seaman 2nd Cass Vernon N. Grow, USN

Pharmacist’s Mate 3rd Class Howard P. Brisbane, USN

Cpl. Frederick G. Collins, USA

Korea

Cpl. Dennis D. Buckley, USA

Sgt. 1st Class James P. Shunney, USA

Sgt. Harold Sparks, USA

Sgt. 1st Class Richard Davis, USA

Sgt. Bailey Keeton, USA

Cpl. Charles B. Crofts, USA

Pvt. William R. Butz, USA

Vietnam

Lt. Cmdr. Frederick P. Crosby, USN

Col. Patrick H. Wood, USAAF

Service members from the Defense POW/MIA 

Accounting Agency (DPAA) transfer a casket 

carrying an unknown hero from the Korean War, 

at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, 

“Punchbowl,” into a truck headed for the DPAA 

laboratory, May 17. The remains will be taken to 

the laboratory for a possible identification. 

(Photo by Sgt. Tiffany Fudge, DPAA)

It has been a busy year, and I am delighted to report that DPAA is 

experiencing a forward momentum that has yielded record-breaking results in our accounting mission. Many throughout the accounting community have contributed to our efforts, filling critical roles in this cast of dedicated professionals, with one goal in 

mind...to recover, account for, identify, and return our nation’s 

heroes to their families. 

It is refreshing to be a part of such a dedicated community, where 

everyone strives to maintain the highest standards, holding each 

other accountable; and when one of us encounters what seems 

to be an insurmountable challenge, there’s a teammate or mates 

ready to reinforce our efforts! Accepting this noble and challenging mission comes with an understanding that the work is demanding and the days are long. What keeps us focused are the 

families and our nation who depend on us. 

Over the last eighteen months, we developed and implemented 

several strategic and operational directives including the 

“Strategic Initiatives and Approach” and the “Global Campaign Plan” to provide direction and unite the agency. From this first set of strategic documents, we recently published our inaugural Operations Plan (OPLAN) 

to further refine our operational direction for the next two years. The intent of the OPLAN is to provide refined levels of predictability, agility, and precision in the synchronization of our plans with the Department of 

Defense’s resourcing cycles.

Brig. Gen. Spindler and I are committed to this mission, the families and to the success of the DPAA team. 

Together, we will continue to support our devoted workforce who serve and sacrifice in order to fulfill our nation’s obligation, while also ensuring timely and accurate information is provided to the families of the fallen. 

Fulfilling Our Nation’s Promise!

Mrs. Fern Sumpter Winbush was selected on October 27, 2015 to serve as the Principal Director for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). In support of the Director, DPAA, she is responsible for leading the agency in formulating policy, overseeing business development, and increasing outreach initiatives to 

achieve the agency’s goal of providing families and the nation with the fullest possible accounting of missing 

personnel from past conflicts. 

Mrs. Winbush hails from Boston, Massachusetts, where she was a 1989 honor graduate of the University of 

Massachusetts and a distinguished military graduate of Suffolk University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps 

(ROTC) program in Boston. She began her military career as a Private First Class in the Army Reserves in 

1983. Her service continued upon her transfer to the Massachusetts Army National Guard until her active duty 

appointment as a Military Intelligence Second Lieutenant in 1990. Over the next 25 years, she held numerous 

positions of increased responsibility in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Korea, and the Netherlands culminating 

with a deployment to Operation Enduring Freedom in Kabul, Afghanistan and subsequently, as the Commander of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia. Mrs. Winbush retired from the Army after 

31 years of military service in January 2015. 
Paving the way ahead MYANMAR A Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) investigation team conducted witness interviews and crash site surveys at 

several different villages and locations throughout Chin State, a mountainous region in western 

Myanmar, May 3 - 29, 2016. The team deployed in 

an effort to investigate, locate and possibly recover seven United States Army Air Forces personnel 

who were lost during World War II. 

Comprised of nine team members, the team included subject matter experts such as a forensic 

anthropologist, analyst, explosive ordnance disposal technician, paramedic, communications 

expert and a mountaineer. The team was the 

first sent to Myanmar since April 2014, continuing DPAA’s diligent effort to account for missing 

Americans from past wars for the fullest possible 

accounting to their families and the nation.

The information received from witnesses helped 

the team confirm and correlate the missing airplanes to possible crash sites. Upon confirmation, 

the team braved austere conditions, facing slopes 

as steep as 50 degrees, in order to search for aircraft wreckage, possible life support equipment 

and the possible resting place of the service members.

“The mission targeted aircraft crash sites located 

in the Chin Hills region of Myanmar,” said Dane 

Magoon, DPAA forensic anthropologist. “And 

while these may be foothills compared to the Himalayas we were still conducting survey work at 

elevations well over 7,000 feet above sea level. We 

did a lot of hiking, and not much of the ground we 

covered was flat.”

In total, the team conducted five site surveys, 

which led to the discovery of aircraft wreckage 

and possible life support equipment. These findings helped in correlating the aircraft crash sites 

and missing airplanes, which will greatly assist in 

future recovery operations.

“During this mission we conducted archaeological surveys of five aircraft crash sites that had never been visited by DPAA personnel,” said Magoon. 

“The effort was very successful, with a great team 

and excellent support from local civilians and 

host nation officials. Four of the five crash sites 

appear to represent U.S. aircraft associated with 

known loss incidents, which is exactly what we’re 

looking for. While one site appears to represent 

a resolved loss incident the other three do not, 

which is why our survey activities are so important for accurately identifying and evaluating solid 

targets to pursue with future recovery efforts.”

The attitude of the team was best expressed by 

Sgt. 1st Class Roderico Balagtas, DPAA analyst. 

“The witnesses were very helpful to our investigation. This being my first mission, I was nervous 

because I did not want to fail. Experiencing how 

difficult the mission was, I realized I must put my 

best effort into bringing home our missing persons to their families.”

Witness accounts help locate WWII crash sites in Myanmar

Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Roy Woo, DPAA

A witness looks at a photo of herself in earlier years during a 

DPAA investigation mission in Chin State, Myanmar, May 2, 

2016. Forensic anthropologist Dane Magoon and eight DPAA 

team members deployed to the area in hopes of recovering the 

remains of seven U.S. Army Air Forces personnel unaccounted 

for from World War II. 

U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Vincent Darilek, an Explosive 

Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician with the Defense 

POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), sweeps for metal 

hits on a slope in hopes of finding possible evidence during 

a DPAA investigation mission in Chin State, Myanmar, May 

5, 2016. Darilek and eight DPAA team members deployed 

to the area in hopes of recovering the remains of seven U.S. 

Army Air Forces personnel unaccountedfor from World 

War II. 
PHILIPPINES— World War ll was one of the most 

destructive and brutal wars in American history. By 

the end of 1945, its various battles claimed the lives of 

over 131 million Americans. The trials and 

tribulations endured by these fallen service members 

is something unspeakable, and can never be repaid. 

With each battle, our nation’s heros continued to fight 

- not just against the enemy, but to stay alive and return home with honor. One battle in particular made 

it extremely 

difficult on 

members trying to 

remain faithful to the 

cause: the 

Bataan Death 

March. 

More than 

72 years ago, 

shortly after 

the attack on 

Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 

1941, the 

Japanese Imperial Army 

began their 

invasion into the Philippines. Within the month they 

proceeded to capture the capital, Manila, forcing the 

American and Filipino troops to retreat to the Bataan 

Peninsula. 

After a long three-month battle, the two forces fought 

side-by-side without navy or air support, to hold off 

the Japanese forces, with no prevail. April 9, U.S. Maj. 

Gen. Edward King, leader of defense in the Battle of 

Bataan surrendered over 75 thousand troops to the 

enemy, due to the overwhelming number of service 

members suffering from disease, injuries and hunger. 

“We have no further means of organized resistance, 

we are low on ammunition, have virtually no medical supplies, and our food is all but gone,” said King. 

“Our front lines are destroyed and both flanks severely weakened. The situation has become hopeless. If 

I do not surrender all forces to the Japanese today, 

Bataan will be known around the world as the greatest slaughter in history.”

The American and Filipino prisoners of war - stripped 

of all weapons and belongings, were then forced to 

march more than 65 miles from Mariveles to San 

Fernando, Philippines. The hike later became known 

as the Bataan 

Death March. 

“Everything I 

had in my wallet, in my pockets was taken 

from me,” said 

survivor Richard 

Gordon. “I was 

marched down 

that road, where 

they captured 

me, I passed my 

battalion commander, Maj. 

James Ivy. He 

had been tied 

to a tree, and he 

was stripped to the waist covered with bayonet holes. 

He was dead obviously and he had bled profusely. 

He had been bayonetted by many, many bayonets. 

And that’s when I knew we had some troubles on our 

hands.” 

The Death March was done in groups of 100 and took 

approximately five days to complete. Many lost their 

lives from heat exhaustion, dehydration or the cruel treatment from the Imperial Army. The ones who 

fell behind were often killed by bayonets or beheaded 

by samurai swords. The Japanese forces believed that 

any warrior who surrendered had no honor and was 

not to be treated as a human being. 

75,000 POWs, 65 miles:

Story by Senior Airman Leah Ferrante, DPAA Even if the troops survived the march and made it to 

San Fernando, they were then taken to prisons where 

the Japanese did not provide the medical care needed 

for the sick and wounded, leaving it up to the American 

medics to save as many POW’s as they could. Despite 

the medics’ efforts the conditions in the overcrowded 

prisons caused disease to spread rapidly, killing hundreds. 

After numerous casualities, long battles and lost hope, 

things turned around when the U.S. and Filipino forces finally avenged their defeat in the invasion of Leyte. 

Then shortly after, the forces recaptured the Bataan 

Peninsula when World War ll ended in 1945.

In September 1945, the Allied troops arrested Japanese Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma and convicted him 

of war crimes committed during the Bataan Death 

March. Charged with crimes against humanity, justice 

was served when Homma was killed by firing squad in 

1946, outside Manila. 

The number of fallen U.S. and Filipino soldiers during 

the Bataan Death March is still uncertain and around 

207 U.S. POW’s are still missing today. It’s the Defense 

POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s mission to search for 

our nation’s heroes, and return them home where they 

belong. An investigation has been planned for DPAA 

to enter the Philippines and return these POW’s still 

missing from the Bataan Death March those long 72 

years ago. 

The sacrifices they made for this nation will never be 

forgotten. 

Archived photos show the extreme conditions service members endured during the Bataan Death March in 1941. American and Filipino Prisoners of War, stripped of all weapons and 

belongings, were forced to march more than 65 miles from 

Mariveles to San Fernando, Philippines. The Death March 

was done in groups of 100 and took approximately five days to 

complete. Many lost their lives from heat exhaustion, dehydration and behavior from the Imperial Army. (Courtesy archived 

photo.)

The Bataan Death March
Son La Province, Vietnam

Photos by Sgt. Eric LaClair, DPAA

Left: U.S. service members with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), pose for a team 

photo in Son La Province, Vietnam, Nov. 19, 2015. DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting of U.S. personnel who lost their lives during past conflicts, and bring closure to their families.

Top Right: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Reed with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)

secures an anchor for mountaineering equipment to allow the team to conduct recovery operations in 

Son La Province, Vietnam, Nov. 16, 2015. 

Middle Right: A local worker helping the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) takes a

break from recovery operations in Son La Province, Vietnam, Nov. 16, 2015. 

Bottom Right: U.S. Army SSG Daniel Reed with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)

takes a break from recovery operations in Son La Province, Vietnam, Nov. 17, 2015. 

Background: The landscape of the Son La Province in Vietnam at the end of a day of

recovery operations. 
Reflections of a family membe

on a trip to south Kor

Though the Korean War is often referred to in America as the “Forgotten War,” I recently found out that 

it is anything but forgotten in South Korea. Last 

spring, I joined 48 other family members of missing servicemen (wives, siblings, and children) of 26 

servicemen lost during the Korean War to travel to 

South Korea and see for ourselves that over 60 years 

after the fighting stopped, the South Korean government and people still remember clearly and truly 

appreciate and are thankful for the sacrifices of U.S. 

military personnel and their loved-ones to ensure the 

freedoms and democratic principles of the Republic 

of South Korea. It was an experience I will never 

forget and always cherish.

From May 20 to 26, as part of the “Revisit Korea 

Program,” the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans 

Affairs and Korea Army Academy hosted four days 

of ceremonial and sightseeing visits to historical 

and cultural locations in and around Seoul. These 

well-organized events included emotional individual presentations by senior members of South Korea’s government; a tour of the Demilitarized Zone 

“DMZ” including the Joint Security Area; a memorial 

ceremony for the Nevada Outpost Battle (March 

26–28, 1953); the offering of incense at the Seoul 

National Cemetery; and a trip to the Hall of Remembrance where we found our loved ones’ names inscribed in bronze. As emotional as the trip was it was 

also a wonderful educational opportunity as we were 

taken to the Ministry of National Defense Agency for 

KIA Recovery and Identification, commonly knowns 

as “MAKRI” which is the South Korean version of 

the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. While 

there, we learned about current South Korean and 

U.S. efforts to find and identify human war remains 

throughout the Korean Peninsula. On the last evening of the visit, we were treated to a formal banquet 

attended by many dignitaries, to include the Commander of United States Forces Korea, who offered 

a standing toast to all the fallen and missing soldiers 

who fought to protect South Korea’s sovereignty. 

Overall, in addition to making new friends for life, 

there is little doubt that all those who were on this 

trip were deeply moved by the showing of such sincere appreciation and heart-felt remembrance by the 

South Korean people. Each day, we saw for ourselves 

what our South Korean hosts meant when they told 

us “your loved ones will always be our heroes.” We 

recognized too, however, the tremendous sacrifice 

made by the South Korean people during the war. 

Most of all, each family member now more fully appreciated the contributions that all of our loved-ones 

made in creating the free society and economic success that is South Korea today. For providing us this 

opportunity, we thanked the South Korean officials 

who worked so hard to make this trip possible and 

to ensure that all the sacrifices of our loved ones are 

remembered and honored. 

By Sheila Dougherty Badzioch

By Spc. Crystal Madriz, DPAA

In May 2011, when I was weighing my options 

for my next duty assignment, I was told about DPAA 

(formerly JPAC - Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command). I had no idea a unit like this existed, nor did 

I know it was possible a Soldier with my job title to 

to be assigned here. The job description did not do it 

justice. They never told me I would be backpacking 

through the jungles of Vietnam, climbing mountains 

in Cambodia, base-camping in the middle of Laos in a 

tent, scaling glaciers in Alaska, traveling to the fields of 

France and walking the beaches of Normandy.

There are those that do not get it who ask, 

“Why do it?” I absolutely love to have this argument. 

My retort will always be, “Why not?” 

They will forever be my brothers, they are not 

blood but they are my family. Marine Corps, Army, 

Navy, Air Force - it does not matter what branch you 

are or what patch you wear, you are my family. If you 

give your blood, sweat and tears, giving everything you 

have and ultimately giving your all and never making 

it home, I will give me, I will literally give my blood, 

sweat and tears to bring you home.

You have those critics out there that don’t see it, 

they talk about money or location or it’s not worth it. 

At the end of the day, we made a promise. A promise 

that no matter what, if you give your all we will never 

leave you behind. Should we not honor that promise? 

Should we not keep our word and our values? You look 

at any one of the services, in their core values there is 

always honor, commitment, among others. If they give 

this for us why not give what we have for the ones that 

never made it back.

All of this has become a reality since I joined 

the DPAA team. I have always had a somewhat similar mentality but it never actually set in until the first 

time I ran my hands through the earth trying to find 

one of my brothers. And each time it’s the same. We 

travel to remote places in the world, all in search of 

them; these men, the ones that stood up the moment 

we asked them to defend our country and everything 

it stood for. And some of the greatest lessons in life I 

have ever learned were on these missions. The one that 

hit me the hardest was France, my final mission.

As we drove through the countryside in France, 

I stared out of the car window, I couldn’t help but be 

humble. I can see it in my head, the D-Day invasion 

60 years ago, the skies filled with falling brothers, the 

fields filled with Soldiers; Soldiers fighting for their 

lives, fighting for our freedom, our country. The green 

grass was once red, the air filled with smoke, the trees 

gone from the impact of motor and tank rounds; countries torn apart by war, the trees whispering one day 

this will be history.

We stopped at an American Cemetery in 

Aisne, France, named Oise Aisne American Cemetery. 

I looked at the plaque and it explains that there are 

6,012 American graves, 241 missing. I walked through 

the headstones looking for all the ones saying “UNKNOWN,” I touched each one all while whispering, 

“Brother one day you will find your home, one day we 

will come back for you, this I promise, someone will 

come.”

I never truly understood what it was meant 

by “walk in their footsteps and you will see,” until I 

walked the beaches of Normandy. I stood on the beach 

of Omaha, and it took my breath away. It brought me 

to tears knowing my brothers stood in the exact place 

and fought with everything they had. I took my shoes 

off, letting the sand go between my toes, feeling the 

echoes of my brothers from the past, saying, “You are 

not alone, for I am here with you”.

Remember the sacrifices we have all made, the 

battles we have won. Let us join together to ensure our 

fallen have not made a sacrifice in vain. We are a country united, no matter how different we are.

On the monument of Chateau-Thierry on Hill 

204 it says, “Time will not dim the glory of their deeds” 

- WWI General Pershing. What my brothers did will 

echo an eternity.

The greatest lessons in life I have learned are 

perseverance and loyalty. What we do everyday determines who we are, and what we become. We choose 

it. This country would not be what it is today without 

their sacrifice, without their willingness to stand up 

for our future and say, “Today it will be me.” I have 

climbed mountains in Cambodia, backpacked through 

the jungles of Vietnam and walked the beaches of Normandy and nothing will ever compare. I have brought 

my brothers home to their families, I have slept beside 

their transfer cases. And it was one of the greatest journeys anyone could ever ask for. So for this, I thank you. 

Until they all return, I thank the future generations 

who carry on the mission of bringing our brothers 

home.

(Spc. Madriz is a forensic photographer and 

has been with DPAA since August 2012.)

Our Journey Home
DPAA recovers remains from Lindau

Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Micaiah Anthony, 

100th Air Refueling Wing

“First we have to get the lay of the land as to 

where the site is,” said Taala. “Narrowing down where 

to dig was the most difficult task we had. You cannot 

just start digging 100 meters in every direction.”

In addition to locating the site, the team also 

had to construct screening stations and inventory and 

off-load tools and supplies. 

“Once our team hit the ground they were eager 

to work,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Hughes. “They knew 

what was at stake and it was reflected in all of their hard 

work.”

The team spent the next two weeks excavating 

and screening the soil around the impact site and recovered remains, which were sent to the DPAA laboratory for anthropological analysis, as well as to the 

Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory for DNA 

testing and comparison to relatives of the missing service member. 

“It is an amazing yet somber feeling to recover the remains of one of our service members,” said 

Hughes. “To be able to bring our own back home and 

give their families closure is a great honor that I will 

carry with me forever.”

LINDAU, Germany— A harmonized hum of Pratt and 

Whitney engines pierce through the clouds as a cluster of small silhouettes race across the lush green fields 

and trees of Germany. A formation of P-47 Thunderbolts float majestically through the air. In the distance 

an enemy vehicle bounces down a narrow road. 

As the formation approaches, one aircraft begins its descent. With the vehicle in the pilot’s sight he 

lets loose a barrage of hot metal, creating a stream of 

dust clouds up to and past the vehicle. The pilot quickly 

glances back as a large ball of fire catches his eye; his 

aircraft skirts just a few feet from the ground. 

He averts his attention back to the horizon and 

pulls back the controls when a wall of trees quickly 

approaches. His aircraft barely clears the first row of 

trees, however, one wing gets snagged sending the aircraft swirling into the forest.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency 

(DPAA) deployed a recovery team to Lindau, Germany, 

to retrieve the remains of a fallen U.S. service member 

from World War II, April 11, 2016.

“We were tasked with excavating a World War 

II-era P-47 Thunderbolt crash site,” said Sabrina Taala, 

DPAA anthropologist. “The aircraft was a single seater 

and it crashed April 16, 1945, right before the end of 

the war. The pilot was doing a strafing run on an enemy 

truck when he lost control of his plane and crashed into 

the forest.”

According to Taala, the U.S government attempted to recover the pilot’s remains back in 1948.

“At that time the U.S. government had to list the 

pilot as, missing body not recovered,” said Taala. With 

the technology available now, we were able to give it another try.”

Before a recovery team could be sent out, an investigation team was dispatched to interview witnesses 

and find the location of the crash site. 

“During the investigation they found an area 

with a lot of aircraft wreckage, so the investigation 

team recommended the site for excavation,” added Taala.

With the recovery team on scene Taala knew 

there was still much work they had to do.

Left: Sabrina Taala, DPAA anthropologist, uses a compass to map 

out grid coordinates for the recovery site where a P-47 Thunderbolt crashed in Lindau, Germany, during World War II, April 

13, 2016. Once the grid is set up the recovery team can begin 

excavating the area. 

Second from Left: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Lorena Contreras, Defense 

POW/MIA Accounting Agency, (DPAA) supply Non-commissioned Officer, pushes soil and rock through a screen during 

excavation operations at the recovery site of a P-47 Thunderbolt 

crash, in Lindau, Germany, April 25, 2016. 

Second from Right: Wreaths lay on a monument in Zerbst, 

Germany, to commemorate those who lost their lives during a 

bombing raid, April 16, 1945.

Right: U.S. Army Pfc. Wyatt Holland, DPAA recovery augmentee, 

uses a shovel to excavate soil from a unit at the recovery site of a 

P-47 Thunderbolt crash from World War II, in Lindau, Germany, 

April 20, 2016. Organic personnel from DPAA and augmentees 

from across Europe were sent to the site to recover the remains of 

the pilot. 
Korea Repatriation Ceremony

Photos by Sgt. Choi Woo Hyuk, U.S. Forces Korea

Top: Pallbearers hold the caskets of the fallen Soldiers during a repatriation ceremony on Knight Field, Yongsan Garrison, 

Seoul, South Korea, April 28. The ceremony was conducted to return remains of United Nations Command and Korean Soldiers 

who died on the field of battle during the Korean War.

Bottom Left: Pallbearers hold the caskets of the fallen Soldiers during a repatriation ceremony on Knight Field, April 28.

Bottom Right: The United Nations Command Honor Guard present the combinded colors during a repatriation ceremony on 

Knight Field, April 28.

DPAA Memorial Dedication Ceremony

Story by Senior Airman Leah Ferrante, DPAA

Photos by Staff Sgt. Kristen Duus, DPAA

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The unique mission of 

the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency brings 

hope and answers to the families who are still missing loved ones from the Vietnam War era. It states in 

DPAA’s mission statement that they will provide the 

fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation. 

With this statement comes great commitment, and on April 7, 2001, seven U.S. service members and nine Vietnamese military men paid the ultimate price trying to fulfill that promise when their 

M-17 helicopter went down on their way to survey 

proposed sites that had possible POW/MIA remains 

around the Quang Binh Providence. Investigations 

determined the crash was due to deteriorating 

weather conditions and poor visibility.

“It was probably the toughest assignment I 

ever had,” said Ann Mills-Griffiths, president and 

CEO of the League of POW/MIA Families. “Never 

ever did we, the POW/MIA family think that possibly we could lose some of our fine young people 

who were out conducting recovery missions for our 

missing family members.”

This year marked the 15th anniversary of the 

tragic event that took the lives of fathers, sons, brothers and husbands. However, their legacy will forever 

be seen in the halls of the Pentagon where a plaque 

has been hung in honor of all service members who 

have been killed fulfilling DPAA’s mission. 

“We never leave a fallen comrade,” said U.S. 

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, during the 

ceremony for the plaque unveiling. “Even if the risk, 

or even if it’s the cost of our own life, we will bring 

our fellow fallen Marines, Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors back home.”

“We traveled to DC to represent him, his life 

and legacy,” said Pachetta T. Draft-Murphy, spouse 

to deceased Sgt. 1st Class Tommy L. Murphy.

Pachetta, accompanied by her daughter, 

Zamora Draft-Murphy, was only four at the time of 

her father’s tragic accident. However, they were not 

alone, joining them were the other families who had 

lost their loved one that day. 

“I felt so honored to be there, because we 

never got the chance to grieve with the other families,” said Draft-Murphy. “Just to share and realized 

that other people felt the way that we did was comforting, it was wonderful.”

The families watched as the plaque in honor 

of their loved ones was unveiled, and now hangs in 

the POW/MIA memorial hallway of the Pentagon. 

After the ceremony, the families were invited to attend the 47th Annual League of POW/MIA Families 

banquet where a special tribute was given in their 

honor.

Although there was great tragedy, the mission 

to recover our fallen heroes continues. The League of 

POW/MIA Families and DPAA will always remember Army Lt. Col. Rennie M. Cory Jr., Detachment 

2 commander; Air Force Tech. Sgt. Robert M. Flynn, linguist; Navy Hospital Corpsman Chief Pedro J. 

Gonzales; Air Force Maj. Charles E. Lewis, Detachment 2 deputy commander; Army Lt. Col. George 

D. Martin, incoming Detachment 2 commander; 

Air Force Master Sgt. Steven L. Moser, linguist; and 

Army Sgt. First Class Tommy L. Murphy, Central 

Identification Laboratory Hawaii

Famlies of American service members killed in a helicopter 

crash over Vietnam, April 7, 2001, pose during a dedication 

ceremony held at the Pentagon, June 23, 2016. The service 

members were on a mission to recover remains of missing 

Americans from the Vietnam War, when the helicopter 

crashed due to bad weather. Seven Americans and nine Vietnamese perished in the crash.
Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C. 20301-2300

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EDITORIAL STAFF

Maj. Natasha Waggoner - Director, Public Affairs

Staff Sgt. Kristen Duus - Layout and Design

Published by DPAA Public Affairs

Cover photo information: 

MYANMAR— Myanmar Army Maj. Aung Zaw Lin, Office of the Chief of Military Security Affairs liason officer to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), screens dirt in hopes of finding possible evidence 

during a DPAA investigation mission in Chin State, Myanmar, May 13, 2016. Nine DPAA team members 

deployed to the area in hopes of recovering the remains of seven U.S. Army Air Forces personnel unaccounted for from World War II. The mission of DPAA is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing 

personnel to their families and the nation. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Roy Woo, DPAA)

For your information

Family members seeking more information about missing loved ones may call their respective

Service Casualty Office:

U.S. Army U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Navy U.S. Air Force

 (800) 892-2490 (800) 847-1597 (800) 443-9298 (800) 531-5501