Written on November 18, 2009 at 10:27 am by

Army Office Keeps Hope Alive for Families of Missing Soldiers

Filed under DoD News {no comments}
Two high ranking military members render a salute as the honor guard prepare the flags to present to family members of members of the WWII B-25 crew that was lost on December 5, 1942 near Papua, New Guinea at an interment at Arlington National Ceremony. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer William Selby.

Members of the Army's Old Guard prepare flags to present to the families of members of a B-25 crew that was lost on December 5, 1942, near Papua, New Guinea, at an interment at Arlington National Ceremony. Photo by Petty Officer William Selby

By Ian Graham

Yesterday, I attended a World War II Interment Ceremony for seven Army Air Corps Airmen at Arlington National Cemetery. The airmen, who received final honors, were members of the B-25 “The Happy Legend.” The plane and crew were lost on December 5, 1942 near Papua, New Guinea.

While the service itself was moving, it brings to light the work being done by the Department of Defense to search for soldiers still listed as Missing in Action.

“We’re not looking for a name on a piece of paper, we’re looking for our fathers, uncles, and brothers,” said Army Lt. Col. Eric Wolf, chief of the Past Conflict Repatriations Branch of the Army’s Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Center.

Wolf’s office oversees the Army’s effort to locate and identify the remains of every missing soldier. Forensic evidence, genealogy and old-fashioned detective work are all a part of the process, which sometimes begins in the unlikeliest of circumstances. Bones might be found in a forest in Germany or divers may come upon wreckage of a plane.

Sometimes a search is quick and remains can be easily identified because of artifacts like identification tags or dental remains that are easy to research and compare, but some cases have been in the works for more than 10 years.

Wolf’s office stays in contact with the families it works with as it investigates, even if it takes waiting for new technology to develop before conclusive results can be found. Once those results are found, he said, the length of the wait seems trivial at best.

Once they remains are identified and returned to the family, they can be buried with the honors given to any current servicemember.

The Army’s Past Conflict Repatriations Branch can be reached toll-free at (800) 892-2490. Wolf said his case workers would be more than happy (“Honored, in fact,” he said) to answer any questions or help find a missing family member.

View a photo essay from yesterday’s interment ceremony.

Members of “The Happy Legend” Crew:
1st Lt. Charles Maggart
1st Lt. Wilson Pinkstaff
2nd Lt. Frank Thompson
2nd Lt. William Stocking (group and individual interment)
Sgt. Aub Lee Atkins Jr.
Capt. Richard Grutza
Pfc. Antonio Calderon

Recent Comments

DoDLive on Tumblr

  • photo from Tumblr

    The only African-American ace of World War II, and a former Tuskegee Airman, went on to have a career in the Air Force, as well as success in the business world.

    Lee A. Archer joined the Army in 1941 with high hopes of becoming a pilot, but was initially denied because of his race. When the Army’s policy changed about a year later, Archer was accepted to the training program for black aviators at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama.

    Archer is best known for a day in late 1944 when he was involved in a series of dogfights over German-occupied Hungary. Flying a P-51 Mustang fighter, Archer shot down three German fighters. He would go on to add two more German fighters to his credit to become the first and only African-American ace of the war.

    As a civilian, Archer enjoyed even greater success, serving as vice president for urban affairs with General Foods, as CEO of North Street Capital Corp. and chairman of Hudson Commercial Corp. He also served on the board of directors of Beatrice International Foods and the Institute for American Business.

    Read the rest of his story here.



  • Navy Lt. Aaron Lanzel is on a mission, his goal to join the U.S. Olympic track team this summer in London. Lt. Lanzel is working out daily at U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He trains daily in a couple of events, the 1500 and 3000 meter run. This is his second try at being a US Olympian, an active duty U.S. Naval officer, he’s hoping this time, that he can make the team and run for his country.


  • photo from Tumblr

    navyhistory:

    On 7 February 1800, USS Essex became the first U.S. Navy vessel to cross the Equator. This 1799 image of Essex was painted by E. Tuffnell, R.N. (Retired). NHHC Photograph Collection, NH 72804-KN.