Fulfilling our nation’s promise

DPAA

October 2016- September 2017

YEARINREVIEW

Fulfilling Our Nation’s Promise
DPAA Leadership

Mr. Kelly McKeague- Director 

Mrs. Fern Sumpter Winbush- Principal Deputy Director

Rear Adm. Jon Kreitz- Deputy Director

Sgt. Maj. Michael Swam- Senior Enlisted Advisor

Editorial Staff

Mr. Todd Livick- Outreach and Communications Director

Mr. Chuck Prichard - Public Affairs Director 

Sgt. 1st Class Kristen Duus - Editor-in-chief

MC2 Tyler Thompson- Design 

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U.S. Army

(800) 892-2490

U.S. Marine Corps

(800) 847-1597

U.S. Navy

(800) 443-9298

U.S. Air Force

(800) 531-5501

FOR YOUR

INFORMATION

Family members seeking more 

information about missing 

loved ones may call their

respective Service 

Casualty Office

{ } DEFENSE POW/MIA

ACCOUNTING AGENCY

2300 Defense Pentagon

Washington, D.C. 20301-2300

Phone: 703-699-1420
183 ACCOUNTED FOR Vietnam War

1st Lt. Daniel Thomas, USAF

1st Lt. Joseph Smith, USAF

Lt. j.g. Charles Goodwin, USN

Maj. Roosevelt Hestle, USAF

Capt. Robert Holton, USAF

Capt. Martin Scott, USAF

Capt. James White, USAF

1st Lt. David Dinan, USAF

Chief Master Sgt. Donald Hall, USAF

LCDR James Bauder, USN

Korean War

Pfc. John Lane, USA

Pfc. Billie Jimerson, USA

Pfc. Daniel Kelly, USA

Cpl. Willie Rowe, USA

Sgt. Richard Cushman, USA

Pfc. William Sadewasser, USA

Pvt. Walter Piper, USA

Pvt. Richard Lucas, USA

Pfc. Leslie Sutton, USA

Pfc. Richard Seadore, USA

Pfc Frank Sandoval, USA

Pfc. Edward Borders, USA

Pfc. Glen Kritzwiser, USA

Cpl. William Larkins, USA

Pvt. Albert Atkins, USA

Pfc. Frederick Mullins, USA

Pfc. Clarence Skates, USA

Master Sgt. George Housekeeper, USA

Pvt. Charlie Hill, USA

Sgt. Max Harris, USA

Cpl. Roy Hopper, USA

Sgt. Alfred Bensinger, USA

Cpl. Gerald Mueller, USA

Cpl. Philip Iyotte, USA

Pfc. James Leonard, USA

Cpl. Ollie Shepard, USA

Pvt. Felipe Champion, USA

Sgt. 1st Class Finley Davis, USA

Pvt. Walter Green, USA

HM1 William Payne, USN

Sgt. Elmore Goodwin, USA

Pvt. Leroy Bryant, USA

Pfc. Albert Quintero, USA

Sgt. Harry Harkness, USA

Cpl. Kermit Lejeune, USA

Pfc. Donald Eischlag, USMC

Sgt. Johnson McAfee, USMC

Pfc. Donald Baer, USA

Pfc. Willie Blue, USA

Sgt. Lester Walker, USA

Maj. Stephen Uurtamo, USA

World War II

John Armstrong, CIV

Ml1c Kenneth Armstrong, USN

F3c Kenneth Holm, USN

Peter Atkinston, CIV

EM3c Cecil Barncord, USN

Maxx Hammer, CIV

Pfc. Gene Appleby, USA

Cox. Verne Knipp, USN

1st Lt. Francis Pitonyak, USAAF

2nd Lt. Charles Carlson, USAAF

Staff Sgt. Byron Nelson, USAAF

F1c Michael Galajdik, USN

1st Lt. William Gray, USAAF

F3c Glaydon Iverson, USN

F1c Elmer Kerestes, USN

GM1c Arthur Neuenschwander, USN

MATT1 Ralph Boudreaux, USN

F1c Charles Casto, USN

S1c Monroe Temple, USN

Ens. William Thompson, USN

F1c Charles Thompson, USNSTM1 

Cyril Dusset, USN

S2c George George, USN

M1c Elliot Larsen, USN

FCM3c Robert Pribble, USN

F3c Robert Walkowiak, USN

SK2 Glenn Cyriack, USN

2nd Lt. Harry Gaver, USMC

1st Lt. Robert Oxford, USAAF

S1c Paul Raimond, USN

Cpl. Henry Andregg, USMC

Pfc. Jack Fox, USMC

Pfc. Sam Kourkos, USMC

Pvt. William Gruber, USAAF

F1c William Kennedy, USN

F1c Lawrence Fecho, USN

F1c Walter Rogers, USN

Pvt. Donald Spayd, USMC

Pfc. Reece Gass, USA

2nd Lt. George Bussa, USMC

1st Lt. Ewart Sconiers, USAAF

Pfc. John Kovach, USA

Pvt. Harold Hirschi, USAAF

S1c Milton Surratt, USN

Staff Sgt. Michael Aiello, USA

Pfc. Lonnie Eichelberger, USA

Pfc. Lloyd Lobdell, USA

Pfc. George Murray, USMC

Pvt. Archie Newell, USMC

Pvt. Ray James, USMC

1st Lt. George Betchley, USAAF

Staff Sgt. Gerald Jacobsen, USA

Pfc. Raymond Snapp, USMC

Sgt. Richard Sowell, USA

Pfc. Gerald Wipfli, USA

Cpl. Anthony Guerriero, USMC

2nd Lt. Clarence Dragoo, USAAF

2nd Lt. Richard Horwitz, USAAF

Staff Sgt. Thomas McGraw, USAAF

LT William Punnell, USN

Pvt. Joseph Carbone, USMC

Lt. j.g. Irvin Rink, USN

Pvt. Alberic Blanchette, USMC

RM2 Walter Backman, USN

2nd Lt. Clarence Allen, USAAF

Sgt. William Ball, USMC

RM2 Quentin Gifford, USN

T/4 Pete Counter, USA

Tech. Sgt. Earl Gorman, USAAF

Pvt. Rudolph Johnson, USA

2nd Lt. Frank Fazekas, USAAF

GM1c George Herbert, USN

Tech. Sgt. John Brady, USAAF

Tech. Sgt Allen Chandler, USAAF

1st Lt. John Liekhus, USAAF

ARM2c Albert Rybarczyk, USN

AOM2c Ora Sharninghouse, USN

Staff Sgt. Robert Shoemaker, USAAF

Staff Sgt. Bobby Younger, USAAF

Pvt. Vernon Keaton, USMC

PhM1c John Schoonover, USN

2nd Lt. Stanley Stegnerski, USAAF

F2c John Wheeler, USN

F1c Samuel Crowder, USN

F1c Charles Ogle, USN

F1c Elmer Nail, USN

Pfc Raymond Sinowitz, USAAF

Pfc. Billy Ball, USA

Sgt. Charles Daman, USAAF

Staff Sgt. Roy Davis, USAAF

Pfc. Francis Drake, USMC

SF3 Francis Hannon, USN

S1c Joseph Johnson, USN

1st Lt. Robert Mains, USAAF

AstCK Frank Masoni, USMC

Pfc. Manuel Menendez, USMC

F1c Gerald Pirtle, USN

WT2c Porter Rich, USN

S1c John Savidge, USN

Pfc Harold Thomas, USMC

S2c Frank Wood, USN

CWT Paul Wright, USN

Pvt. George Patrick, USMC

2nd Lt. Elwood Bailey, USMC

S1c Edward Slapikas, USN

Pvt. John Tillman, USMC

2nd Lt. Donald Underwood, USAAF

PhM2c Thomas Murphy, USN

S2c George Wilcox, USN

Tech. Sgt. John Bailey, USAAF

Pvt. Shirley Bailey, USA

Pfc. Albert Strange, USMC

Pfc. Donald Tolson, USMC

1st Lt. Homer Spence, USAAF

Pvt. Charles Drew, USMC

Pfc. Harold Hannon, USMC

Pfc. Arnold Harrison, USMC

Pfc. Harry C. Morrissey, USMC

Cpl. John McNichol, USMC

SM3 Charles Nix, USN

SK3 Eli Olsen, USN

Pfc. Lyle Charpilloz, USMC

Sk3 Wallace Eakes, USN

S1c Clifford Goodwin, USN

Sgt. Elden Grimm, USMC

S2c Harold Head, USN

S1c James Solomon, USN

Cpl. Raymond Barker, USMC

Pvt. Edwin Jordan, USMC

Ml1c Kenneth Armstrong, USN

Pfc. Joe Lukie, USMC

October 1, 2016 

through

September 30, 2017

First-Time Identifications from 

Previous Group Identifications

1st Lt. Marvin S. Arthington, USAF

HM2 Robert J. Bridges, Jr., USN

Capt. George P. McKnight, USAF

A1c Frederick R. Neef, USAF

Tech Sgt. William B. O’Kieff, USAF

1st Lt. Frederick M. Rader, USAF

Staff Sgt. Jack E. Beals, USAAF

2nd Lt. Patrick J. Byrnes, Jr., USAAF

2nd Lt. William B. Cox, USAAF

Sgt. Harold B. Davis, USAAF

Flt. Officeedr Fred L. Evans, USAAF

Pfc. James A. Franklin, USAAF

Staff Sgt. Harold E. Kuhn, USAAF

1st Lt. Fulton P. Lanier, USAAF

Capt. Lamar S. Russell, USAAF

Staff Sgt. William E. Turner, USAAF

2nd Lt. Fred H. Verhein, Jr., USAAF

1st Lt. Robert F. Violet, USAAF

Capt. Donald C. Cole, USAAF

Cpl. Joseph Petrella, USAAF

2nd Lt. Vernal J. Bird, USAAF

Sgt. Wilfred M. Husband, USAAF

Note: This page contains the names of 181 of the 183 

people DPAA accounted for in FY 2017. The names of 

the remaining two are not included as their families are 

pending notification.

201 IDENTIFIED
A local Lao worker poses for a portrait while assisting DPAA with 

clearing an excavation site, to recover remains of U.S. servicemen 

missing from the Vietnam War, in Khammouane Province, Laos, 

Oct. 28, 2016. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Eric M Laclair)

October

 2016
TOP:

DPAA service members 

and USNS Grasp crewmen 

screen for evidence from 

the underwater recovery 

operation in the Tyrrhenian 

Sea, Italy, Oct. 1, 2016. 

DPAA worked with the 

USNS Grasp and the 

Mobile Diving and Salvage 

Unit 2 to locate U.S. 

service members who 

went missing when a B-24 

Liberator crashed during 

WWII. (U.S. Army photo by 

Spc. Lloyd Villanueva)

BOTTOM:

U.S. Navy Divers of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 prepare to dive while 

conducting an underwater recovery operation in the Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy, Oct. 

6, 2016. The Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 worked with DPAA to locate 

U.S. service members who went missing when a B-24 Liberator crashed during 

WWII. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Lloyd Villanueva)

Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise
BOTTOM:

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Marc Weyrick, DPAA, removes water from out of an 

excavation area during a recovery mission in Dien Bien, Vietnam, Nov. 12, 2016. 

Members of DPAA deployed to the area to attempt to recover the remains of an 

F-4C aircraft pilot unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. (U.S. Air Force photo 

by Staff Sgt. Erik Cardenas)

TOP:

Mindy Simonsson, an 

archeologist with DPAA, 

reviews her notes while 

preparing an excavation 

site in Khammouane 

Province, Laos, Nov. 13, 

2016. Simonsson was 

part of a team deployed to 

Laos to search for remains 

of U.S. servicemen 

missing from the Vietnam 

War. (U.S. Marine Corps 

Photo by Sgt. Eric M 

Laclair)

November

 2016
A Vietnamese worker removes mud from a pit during a 

DPAA recovery mission in Dien Bien, Vietnam, Nov. 14, 

2016. Members of DPAA deployed to the area in hopes of 

recovering the remains of an F-4C aircraft pilot unaccounted 

for from the Vietnam War. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. 

Erik Cardenas)

 

Members from DPAA remove mud from a pit during a 

recovery mission in Dien Bien, Vietnam, Nov. 18, 2016. DPAA 

deployed to the area in attempt to recover the remains of 

an F-4C aircraft pilot unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. 

(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Erik Cardenas)

TOP:

 RIGHT:

Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise
BOTTOM:

Members of DPAA render honors during a disinterment ceremony for unknown 

service members at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, 

Hawaii, Dec. 5, 2016. The remains were transferred to the DPAA laboratory for 

identification. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jose H. Rodriguez Guzman)

TOP:

Melvan Heckman, a Pearl 

Harbor survivor, attends 

the USS Oklahoma

Memorial ceremony on 

Ford Island, Hawaii, Dec. 

7, 2016. DPAA continues 

to identify USS Oklahoma 

Sailors and Marines 

from the 388 unknowns 

whose remains had been 

disinterred from the NMCP 

in Honolulu. DPAA recently 

commemorated the 75th 

anniversary of the attack 

that killed 429 servicemen 

aboard the ship. (U.S. 

Army photo by Sgt. Jose H. 

Rodriguez Guzman)

December

 2016
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan (center right) is briefed by DPAA anthropologists 

on the identification process during a tour of the agency’s facility at Joint Base Pearl 

Harbor-Hickam as part of his visit to Hawaii, Dec. 26, 2016. Abe is the first Japanese 

leader to publicly view the site of the Pearl Harbor Attack since 1951. (U.S. Air Force 

photo by Tech. Sgt. Kathrine Dodd) 

Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise
 

BOTTOM:

U.S. service members with DPAA honor the fallen during a disinterment ceremony, 

Jan. 30, 2017, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the 

Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The disinterred remains were transferred to 

the DPAA laboratory for identification. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Erik 

Cardenas) 

TOP:

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. 

Francis Sangiamvongse, 

linguist, screens soil 

with villagers during 

excavation operations as 

part of DPAA’s mission 

in the Khammouane

Province, Laos, Jan. 29, 

2017. Recovery Team 

3 conducted excavation 

operations in search 

of two missing U.S. 

Air Force pilots who 

crashed while on a visual 

reconnaissance mission 

during the Vietnam War 

more than 48 years ago. 

(U.S. Air Force photo by 

Staff Sgt. Leah Ferrante)

January

 2017
BOTTOM:

Jack Kenkeo, life support investigator, shovels dirt from screening stations 

during excavation operations as part of DPAA’s mission in the Khammouane 

Province, Laos, Jan. 23, 2017. Recovery Team 3 conducted the operations 

in search of two missing U.S. Air Force pilots who crashed while on a visual 

reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff 

Sgt. Leah Ferrante)

Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise

TOP:

Natalie Anderson Rauch, 

right, has her cheek 

swabbed for DNA by 

Suzanne Barritt-Ross with 

the Armed Forces Medical 

Examiners System’s DNA 

Identification Laboratory, 

in Honolulu, Jan. 25, 

2016. Rauch’s father went 

missing in the Vietnam 

War, when she was only 

eight years old. In case his 

remains are ever located, 

they may be identified 

through the DNA sample 

she provided. (U.S. Army 

photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen 

Duus)
TOP:

U.S. service members with DPAA transfer the American Flag as part of a dignified 

ceremony to disinter the remains of an unknown service member from the National 

Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Jan. 9, 2017. The remains were 

taken to the DPAA laboratory for analysis and identification as part of the mission 

to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families 

and the nation. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. John Tran)

BOTTOM:

Lynn Rakos, scientific 

recovery expert, waters 

hard soil to help with 

excavation operations as 

part of DPAA’s mission in 

the Khammouane Province, Laos, Jan. 23, 2017. 

Recovery Team 3 executed excavation operations 

in search of two missing 

U.S. Air Force pilots who 

crashed while on a visual 

reconnaissance mission 

during the Vietnam War 

over 48 years ago. (U.S. 

Air Force photo by Staff 

Sgt. Leah Ferrante)

 2017 continued January 
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael 

Alexandra, an explosive ordnance 

disposal technician temporarily assigned to DPAA, inspects potential 

material evidence while searching for 

the remains of a U.S. service member 

still considered missing in action from 

the Vietnam War in Boualapha District, 

Laos, Jan 29, 2017. Alexander, who 

is stationed at Eielson Air Force Base, 

Alaska, was temporarily deployed with 

DPAA as part of their augment program. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff 

Sgt. Matthew J. Bruch) 

BOTTOM:

U.S. service members with DPAA load the disinterred remains of an unknown service member into a transport vehicle at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, Jan. 9, 2017. The remains were sent 

to the DPAA laboratory to be analyzed for identification. DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for 

their participation in these missions. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. John Tran)

LEFT:
Soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), prepare to fold the 

American Flag over the remains of U.S. Army Master Sgt. Ira V. Miss, Jr., 

during his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, Feb. 8, 2017. Miss, who died 

as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, had been identified and returned 

to his family for burial with full military honors. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. 

Kristen Duus)

February

 2017
BOTTOM:

During a repatriation ceremony in the Republic of Kiribati, Feb. 10, 2017, U.S. 

Marines and Airmen, assigned to DPAA, carry transfer cases of possible remains 

of U.S. Marines recovered by History Flight, Inc., a DPAA partner organization, on 

the Island of Tarawa. The remains were flown to the DPAA laboratory in Hawaii for 

analysis and identification. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Julian Temblador)

TOP:

U.S. Army Col. Christopher 

Forbes, DPAA EuropeanMediterranean director, 

speaks with family members 

of U.S. Army Master Sgt. 

Ira V. Miss, Jr., during 

Miss’ funeral at Arlington 

National Cemetery, Feb. 

8, 2017. Miss, who died 

as a prisoner of war during 

the Korean War, had been 

identified and returned to 

his family for burial with full 

military honors. (U.S. Army 

photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen 

Duus)

Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise
TOP:

Dr. James Shorten, a Vietnam War veteran, sits in front of aircraft wreckage during an investigation in which he 

assisted a DPAA team to locate missing service members from the Vietnam War in Ratanakiri, Cambodia, March 

8, 2017. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Demetrius Munnerlyn)

BOTTOM:

Local workers pass buckets of soil during a DPAA excavation and recovery mission to locate missing service 

members from the Vietnam War in Kham Duc, Vietnam, March 13, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jose H. 

Rodriguez Guzman)

March

 2017
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class 

Jean Villanuevalopez, 

assigned to DPAA, 

carries the American flag 

during a disinterment 

ceremony at the National 

Memorial Cemetery of 

the Pacific, Honolulu, 

Hawaii, March 13, 2017. 

The remains were 

transferred to the DPAA 

laboratory for analysis 

and identification. (U.S. 

Marine Corps photo by 

Sgt. Lauren Falk)

Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise
A bugle player plays “Taps” in the background, while a Soldier with the 3rd 

Infantry Unit (The Old Guard) salutes the American flag being held over the 

remains of Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Robert E. Moessner, during Moessner’s 

funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, April 5, 2017. Moessner was the bombardier of a B-24 aircraft that crashed in the waters of Hong Kong harbor in 

1944. Moessner had been identified through DNA analysis and returned to 

his family for burial with full military honors. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. 

Kristen Duus)

April

 2017
BOTTOM:

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Ethan Schrader, DPAA explosive ordnance disposal 

technician, digs for a metal anomaly in the ground during a DPAA recovery operation 

in the Tournehem Forest, France, April 29, 2017. Throughout excavation, EOD 

technicians scanned the ground for items that could provide clues to enable the team 

to locate a potential crash site as well as help the team avoid potential hazards that 

may have been left behind. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 

3rd Class Armando Velez)

Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise

TOP:

Using an interactive 

presentation board, Johnie 

Webb, DPAA Outreach and 

Communications Deputy 

Director, briefs Vietnam 

War veteran George 

Sternischa (right), at Joint 

Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, 

Hawaii, April 20, 2017.

Sternischa is nephew of 

U.S. Navy Fireman 1st 

Class Michael Galajdik, 

who was killed on the USS

Oklahoma, Dec. 7, 1941. 

Galajdik was recently 

identified and returned to 

his family for burial with full 

military honors. (U.S. Air 

Force photo by Staff Sgt. 

Leah Ferrante)
BOTTOM:

U.S. Marine Corps 

Gunnery Sgt. Dane 

Griffin searches for subsurface metal, May 7, 

2017, in hope of finding 

aircraft wreckage from 

a missing B-26 Bomber 

lost during WWII. Griffin, 

an explosives ordnance 

technician working with 

DPAA, participated in the 

mission in the Normandy 

region of France. (DoD 

photo by Bill Dasher)

TOP:

A formation of MV-22 Osprey aircraft flies over the funeral for Marine Corps Reserve 1st Lt. William Ryan, at Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D. 

C., May 10, 2017. On May 11, 1969, Ryan was the radar intercept officer of an 

F-4B aircraft when the aircraft was hit by enemy fire. He was subsequently declared deceased. In 2016, remains found near Ban Alang, Noi, Laos, were identified as Ryan’s and he was returned to his family for burial with full military honors. 

(U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kristen Duus)

May

 2017
RIGHT:

Personnel from DPAA 

and Republic of Korea 

Army (ROKA) Soldiers 

conduct excavation 

operations in Yanggu, 

South Korea, May 8, 

2017. Eight members 

of DPAA deployed to 

South Korea to attempt 

to recover the remains 

of a missing service 

member lost during the 

Korean War. (U.S. Army 

photo by Staff Sgt. Roy 

C. Woo)

Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise

BOTTOM:

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Elliot Hill, assigned to DPAA, SCUBA dives under a barge in the Gulf of Tonkin off the 

coast of northern Vietnam, May 30, 2017. Hill was part of a DPAA underwater recovery team that was searching 

for two aviators who are believed to have crashed in the area during the Vietnam War. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass 

Communication Specialist 1st Class Blake Midnight)
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the DPAA prepare to receive a casket during a 

disinterment ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known 

as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii, June 12, 2017. DPAA transported 

a total of 35 caskets associated with the USS West Virginia, a U.S. Navy 

battleship lost during the Pearl Harbor attack, to the laboratory for analysis 

and identification of the remains. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication 

Specialist 2nd Class Seth Coulter) 

June

 2017
TOP:

Candles are lit prior to a wreath-laying ceremony by Russian delegates, June 21, 

2017, at the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. The delegates are members of 

the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POWs/MIAs which was established in 1992 

to determine the fates of the United States’ and the Soviet Union’s unaccountedfor service personnel from past conflicts. The ceremony honored fallen Russian 

soldiers from WWII. (DPAA photo by U.S. Air Force TSgt Jocelyn A. Ford)

BOTTOM:

Todd Livick, DPAA 

Outreach and 

Communications Director, 

left, Ann Mills-Griffiths, 

Chairman of the Board 

and CEO of the National 

League of POW/MIA 

Families, center, and Fern 

Sumpter Winbush, DPAA 

Acting Director, right, 

unveil the 2017 National 

POW/MIA Recognition 

Day poster during the 

League’s 48th Annual 

Meeting, Arlington, 

Virginia, June 22, 2017. 

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 

1st Class Kristen Duus)

Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise
James Temple receives an American Flag during a funeral 

ceremony honoring U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class Monroe Temple 

of Des Moines, Iowa, who was laid to rest July 12, 2017, in the 

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Temple was assigned to the USS Oklahoma when the ship 

was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The attack 

resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Temple, who 

was recently identified through DNA analysis and returned to his 

family for burial with full military honors. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass 

Communication Specialist 2nd Class Seth Coulter)

 

 

Transfer cases containing the unidentified 

remains of 18 U.S. service members await a solemn 

movement from a C-17 Globemaster III to the DPAA 

laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, July 13, 2017. 

The unidentified service members were killed during WWII and 

buried as unknowns at various gravesites throughout Europe until 

they were recently disinterred for the purpose of identification by 

DPAA forensic anthropologists. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kendra 

Williams)

BOTTOM:

RIGHT:

July

 2017
Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise

U.S. Service members with DPAA carry transfer cases containing remains believed to be missing Marines from 

the Battle of Tarawa out of the back of a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, during a solemn movement at Joint 

Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, July 24, 2017. The remains were recovered from the Republic of Kiribati by 

History Flight, Inc., a DPAA partner organization, and are being examined by forensic anthropologists at DPAA’s 

skeletal identification laboratory. (DPAA photo by Sgt. Kelly L. Street)
TOP:

Lazar Karakashev, a local witness, emotionally recalls details of a B-24 crash as 

he told the team, “together we will find him, and together we will return him home 

to his family.” Karakashev was a crucial part of DPAA’s mission to Rodopi, Bulgaria, July 24, 2017. The team conducted 69 days of excavation operations in search 

of WWll pilot 1st Lt. John D. Crouchley, who went down with his B-24 Liberator, 

the Miss Yankee Rebel, 73 years ago. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Leah 

Ferrante)

BOTTOM:

DPAA personnel escort a 

casket during a disinterment ceremony Honolulu, 

Hawaii, July 17, 2017. 

The ceremony was part of 

DPAA’s effort to exhume 

35 caskets associated with 

unknowns from the USS

West Virginia from the National Memorial Cemetery 

of the Pacific. The battleship sank during the attack 

on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 

1941. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Kathrine 

Dodd)

 2017 continued July 
U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Elliot Martinez, an Independent 

Duty Corpsman assigned to DPAA, excavates a grave in Pokojisce, Slovenia, July 17, 2017. DPAA team members deployed 

to the area in attempt to recover the remains of a U.S. Army Air 

Corps sergeant from WWIl. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. 

Julian Temblador)

RIGHT:

BOTTOM:

Lazar Karakashev, a local witness, watches as U.S. Army Pfc. 

Joshua Stever, recovery member, completes digging operations as part of DPAA’s mission to Rodopi, Bulgaria, July 24, 

2017. The team conducted 69 days of excavation operations 

in search of WWIl pilot 1st Lt. John D. Crouchley, who went 

down with his B-24 Liberator, the Miss Yankee Rebel, 73 years 

ago. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Leah Ferrante)
RIGHT:

U.S. Army Capt. Patrick Wilson delivers remarks at a dinner 

hosted by the Republic of Korea Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, August 10, 2017, in Arlington, Virginia. Wilson 

gave his speech at the request of the Ministry, with whom 

he formed a special working relationship while serving as a 

plans officer and recovery team leader for DPAA’s Asia-Pacific Directorate. Tragically, Wilson passed away in October 

2017, while on a mission to South Korea. He will be buried 

with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, Feb. 

5, 2018. (DPAA photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Kristen Duus) 

TOP:

U.S. Army Sgt. Maria Lopez searches for evidence in the dry screen station as part of DPAA’s mission to Rodopi, Bulgaria, Aug. 5, 2017. The team conducted 69 days of excavation operations in search of WWIl pilot 1st Lt. 

John D. Crouchley, who went down with his B-24 Liberator, the Miss Yankee Rebel, 73 years ago. (U.S. Air Force 

photo by Staff Sgt. Leah Ferrante)

August

 2017
U.S. Army Capt. Tomika Robinson, DPAA team leader, gives buckets 

to local workers at the close of the mission prior to site tear down, 

Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, Aug. 24, 2017. DPAA team members 

deployed to the area to attempt to recover the remains of U.S. service 

members who went missing from the Vietnam War. (U.S. Marine Corps 

photo by Sgt. Kelly L. Street)

Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise
TOP:

A U.S. Soldier of 2nd Brigade 

Combat Team, 26th Infantry 

Division, presents the burial flag to the next of kin of 

U.S. Army Cpl. Glen Edward 

Kritzwiser, who was laid to 

rest Aug. 3, 2017, in the National Memorial Cemetery of 

the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Kritzwiser was assigned to 

the 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. 

He was taken prisoner of 

war while fighting the enemy near Hoengsong, South 

Korea, Feb. 13, 1951, and 

died while a prisoner, July 2, 

1951. Kritzwiser was identified 

through DNA analysis with the 

help of DPAA, and was returned to his family for burial 

with full military honors. (U.S. 

Army photo by Spc. Lloyd 

Villanueva)

BOTTOM:

U.S. Army Capt. Tomika 

Robinson, second from bottom left, DPAA team leader, 

swears in Sgt. Clayton Blackwell, recovery team noncommissioned officer, as he reenlists for another four years 

while standing in the middle 

of the jungle of Quang Binh 

Province, Vietnam, Aug. 24, 

2017. DPAA team members 

deployed to the area in hopes 

of locating U.S. service members who are missing from the 

Vietnam War. (U.S. Marine 

Corps photo by Sgt. Kelly L. 

Street)

 2017 continued January 
Divers with Lam Hong Diving descends into 

the South China Sea near Da Nang, Vietnam, 

while conducting underwater investigations with 

DPAA, Aug. 22, 2017. For the first time ever, 

DPAA conducted investigations utilizing a local 

Vietnamese dive company. DPAA is partnering 

with Lam Hong Diving in order to expand 

capabilities on future underwater investigations 

and recoveries. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. 

Matthew J. Bruch) 

Marilyn H. Beecham Hood poses with Brig. Gen. 

Se-Woo Pho, of the Republic of Korea Defense Attaché to the United States, after she was presented with the Ambassador for Peace Medal during 

the Korean/Cold War Annual Meeting in Arlington, 

Virginia, Aug. 10, 2017. Hood is the daughter of 

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Newman C. Golden, who 

has been missing in action since the Korean War. 

(U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kristen Duus)

TOP:

LEFT:
Kelly McKeague signs the 

Certificate of Appointment after 

swearing in as the new Director of 

the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency 

in a ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 5, 2017. 

McKeague, who retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2015 

at the rank of major general, served as the DPAA Deputy 

Director and as the Commander of the Joint POW/MIA 

Accounting Command, one of the entities merged in 2015 

to form the Defense Department’s newest defense agency. 

(DoD photo by Lee O. Tucker)

The Honorable Patrick M. Shanahan, Deputy Secretary of 

Defense, places his hand over his heart during the National 

POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 

15, 2017. Shanahan hosted the annual event that highlights 

our nation’s commitment to account for missing personnel 

and pay respect to families of the missing, as well as former 

prisoners of war. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kristen 

Duus)

RIGHT:

BOTTOM:

September

 2017
ABOVE:

Families of service members still missing from past wars are recognized at Nationals 

Park in Washington, D.C. prior to the Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 

game, Sept. 15, 2017. The third Friday in September is National POW/MIA Recognition Day. (U.S. Army photos by Sgt. 1st Class Kristen Duus)

Fulfilling Our

Nation’s Promise

BOTTOM:

Personnel assigned to 

DPAA lift a casket during 

a disinterment ceremony 

at the National Memorial 

Cemetery of the Pacific, 

Honolulu, Hawaii, Sept. 

11, 2017. The ceremony was part of DPAA’s 

effort to exhume 35 caskets associated with unknowns from the USS

West Virginia, a battleship that sank during the 

attack on Pearl Harbor, 

Dec. 7, 1941. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. 

Julian Temblador)
RIGHT:

The National League of 

Families POW/MIA Flag 

flies in the mid-western 

breeze below the American 

Flag outside the Double 

Tree by Hilton in DetroitDearborn, Michigan, Sept. 

9, 2017. The nationallyrecognized symbol of our 

missing service members 

was flown in front of the 

hotel while DPAA conducted 

government briefings 

and case updates with 

family members of service 

members who are still 

missing. (U.S. Navy photo 

by Mass Communications 

Specialist 2nd Class Claire 

Farin)

LEFT:

Mr. Ray Emory, a Pearl 

Harbor survivor who 

helped DPAA with re-

search of the 388 un-

knowns from the USS

Oklahoma, received the 

U.S. Flag during the repa-

triation ceremony for Fire-

man First Class Charles 

Casto at the National 

Memorial of the Pacific, 

Honolulu, Hawaii, Sept. 

14, 2017. Casto, recently 

identified by DPAA, was 

buried with his brother, 

Richard Casto, who was 

also killed on the USS 

Oklahoma during the 

attack on Pearl Harbor, 

Dec. 7, 1941. (U.S. Air 

Force photo by Staff Sgt. 

Matthew J. Bruch) 

 2017 continued September 
TOP:

Members of various veterans service organizations prepare to present wreaths during the POW/MIA 

Recognition Day ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, Sept. 15, 2017. 

(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Bruch, DPAA)

BOTTOM:

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Stephen Donnelly, life support investigator for Recovery Team 1, shares photos of his 

family with local workers as thunderstorms moved into the area during DPAA’s recovery operations in Ha Tinh 

Province, Vietnam, Sept. 4, 2017. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Seth Coulter)