Airmen Walk To Honor POW/MIA

by Staff Sgt. Jeremy Farson
117 ARW Public Affairs

9/22/2015 - HOOVER, Ala -- Tech. Sgt. Matthew Crawford, from the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, coordinated and participated in a 16-mile walk to honor Prisoners of War and Missing in Action personnel on September 18 at Veterans Park.

Each foot in the walk represents the more than 83,000 missing Americans in conflicts dating back to World War II. 

Military personnel and members of the community were invited to participate.  The event is an effort to show solidarity and appreciation by the armed forces and civilians so those missing will be remembered.

"This is my way of trying to show support," said Tech. Sgt. Laribeth Matter from the 99 ARS. "We are giving everyone else the idea we are here and those before us are not forgotten."

Crawford and Matter started walking at 7 a.m.  Other participants joined in after it was kicked off and walked as much as they desired to show support.  A POW/MIA flag was handled and passed to different people to carry throughout the event.

"This is a good way to recognize the faith we have in each other as service members," said Crawford. "The U.S. is not giving up on any POW or MIA."   

Crawford has led this event for the 117th Air Refueling Wing the past three years. He got the idea for the walk in 2011 after he participated in a similar event in Japan at Kadena Air Base.  The walk falls on National POW/MIA Recognition Day which is observed the third Friday in September each year.

For Crawford, the observance also offers the realization that service carries inherent risks and nothing is certain.

"We put ourselves in harm's way," said Crawford.  "There's always a chance we can end up in a bad situation like that."

In memory of the missing

by Airman 1st Class Ashley Williamson
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

9/22/2015 - SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C.  -- The Prisoners of War/Missing in Action Remembrance Week was held, Sept. 14-17, here to remind Airmen of those who served as POW/MIAs.

Every year, POW/MIA Remembrance Week is held to pay respect to the POWs or MIA's who did not return home from war.

"There are so many people who have served before us, giving their lives and going into unknown dangers to fight for our safety and security as a nation," said Master Sgt. Benjamin Ackerman, 4th Contracting Squadron contracting officer. "Too many of those same people have never made it home, and their loved ones have been left to wonder what has happened. I could not imagine not having that sense of closure, and to be able to be part of anything that can show these families that their sacrifice, and the sacrifice of their loved ones, is not forgotten, it is truly something that anyone that has a patriotic heart should do."

The week kicked off with a 5K run in front of 4th Fighter Wing headquarters where more than 150 Airmen participated. A motorcycle precession led the 5K run.

"It's important because we don't want to forget," said Master Sgt. Katie Neeley, 4th Aerospace Medicine Squadron dental flight chief. "You get busy with your day to day life, work, everything going on. Sometimes you forget where we came from, who paved the way for us, today as military members, not just in the Air Force, but every service."

Information booths were also displayed throughout the 4th Force Support Squadron, and two free movies, with POW/MIA themes, were shown at the base theater. The week's events also featured a 24-hour name reading and run at the 2-mile track. During the run, teams alternated running with the POW/MIA flag and reading the names of fallen heroes. The run ended at the closing ceremony for the National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

"The 5k and 24-hour runs were both awesome in their own rights," said Ackerman. "The 5k because this was the first year we did it and had about 150 runners involved, and the 24-hour run because I think the tie in of the end of the run into the closing ceremony with a motorcycle escorted transfer of the flag was pretty awesome."

At the ceremony, a recitation of the Loneliest Prayer by Del "Abe" Jones was read, four F-15E Strike Eagles performed a missing man flyover, and retired U.S. Army Gen. Dan K. McNeill commemorated POW/MIA service members for their courage and honor.

"We're here to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, those who have not come home," McNeill said. "On some quiet evenings, if we listen closely, we can hear the quiet sobs of a mother or a spouse for someone who didn't come home."

U.S. Soldier MIA from Korean War Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

United States Army Sgt. Charles P. Whitler will be buried Sept. 2 in his hometown of Cloverport, Ky.

In early November 1950, Whitler was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, occupying a defensive position near the town of Unsan by the Kuryong River known as the “Camel’s Head.” Two enemy elements attacked the U.S. forces, collapsing their perimeter and forcing a withdrawal. Whitler’s unit was involved in fighting which devolved into hand-to-hand combat around the 3rd Battalion’s command post. Almost 400 men were reported missing or killed in action following the battle.

In late November 1950, a U.S. soldier captured during the battle of Unsan reported during his debriefing that he and nine American soldiers were moved to a house near the battlefield. The POWs were taken to an adjacent field and shot. Three of the 10 Americans survived, though one later died. The surviving solider provided detailed information on the incident location.


Analysts from DPMO developed case leads with information spanning more than 58 years. Through interviews with eyewitnesses, experts evaluated circumstances surrounding Whitler’s captivity and death and researched wartime documentation of his loss.


In May 2004, a joint U.S.-North Korean team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, excavated a mass grave near the “Camel’s Head.” An elderly North Korean man reported he had witnessed the death of seven or eight U.S. soldiers near that location and provided the team with a general description of the burial site.


The excavation team recovered human remains and other personal artifacts, ultimately leading to the identification of seven soldiers from that site, one of whom was Whitler.


Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA - which matched that of Whitler’s sister and niece - in the identification.

More than 2,000 servicemen died as prisoners of war during the Korean War. With this accounting, 8,022 service members still remain missing from the conflict.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call 703-699-1420.

Pilots Missing From The Vietnam War Are Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified.

They are Maj. Robert F. Woods, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Capt. Johnnie C. Cornelius, of Maricopa County, Ariz., both U.S. Air Force. Cornelius was buried with full military honors on Nov. 10 in Moore, Texas, and Woods' burial is being set by his family.

On June 26, 1968, Woods and Cornelius were flying a visual reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, when their O-2A Skymaster aircraft crashed in a remote mountainous area. The crew of another aircraft in the flight saw no parachutes and reported hearing no emergency beeper signals. Immediate search efforts were unsuccessful.

Between 1988 and 1993, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident and surveyed the crash site. The team interviewed several Vietnamese citizens, two of whom turned over human remains and the pilots' identification tags.

Between 1994 and 1997, joint teams re-surveyed the site two times to find a landing location to support a helicopter and recovery team. During their survey, one team found additional wreckage and life-support material.

Between 2000 and 2004, joint teams excavated the site four times. They recovered additional human remains, personal effects and life support materials.

In 2006, a joint team interviewed two former North Vietnamese soldiers who recalled the crash. The soldiers said that Woods and Cornelius were buried near the crash site. In 2007, another joint team excavated the burial site identified by the Vietnamese soldiers. The team recovered additional human remains.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

Defense Department Will Not Relent in MIA Efforts, Leaders Pledge

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Sept. 21, 2007 - The United States military will "neither forget our duty to bring home all POWs and MIAs, nor relent in our efforts to do so," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. The secretary, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace, spoke at the POW/MIA Day ceremony at the Pentagon today.

Roughly 30,000 Americans alive today were once held as prisoners of war, Pace said. Millions of Americans have taken the oath to become servicemembers, he said, but few "have been called to sacrifice the way our prisoners of war have been called to sacrifice and to be tested in the belief in that oath."

The general spoke of the incredible way that former prisoners of war fulfilled their oaths, and he said they hand a legacy of service to servicemembers today.

"We hope and pray that if we were to be in the same state that they were in, that we might discharge our duties as well as they have discharged theirs," Pace said. "That legacy spurs us on to serve this nation out of respect for their honor and their service."

Gates gave a special welcome to former POWs in the audience and to the families of Americans still listed as missing in action.

"Missing-in-action status is marked by ambiguity and uncertainty, a severe test of spirit and resolve for anyone seeking closure," he said. "Your attendance today proves once again that the bond of love transcends the passage of time, that while our nation's heroes may remain missing in body, they are always present in spirit."

The POW/MIA commemoration is a time to remember and recommit, the secretary said. The day will be linked to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by coincidence of the calendar, but when the day was chosen it was picked because it was unconnected to any specific war or cause, Gates said.

But, he added, it is also fitting that POW/MIA Day be linked to Sept. 11.

"Throughout our nation's history, it has always fallen to the men and women of the armed forces to respond to aggressors and adversaries; to endure arduous and Spartan conditions; to risk life and limb on the battlefield; to make the sacrifices that are, in the final analysis, both our nation's tragedy and our glory," he said.

Servicemembers have again answered the call to duty and are fighting a conflict that is global in scope and generational in duration, Gates said. "And, as in the past, the honor, courage and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform will be our nation's glory," he said. "As in the past, losing them on the battlefield is ever our tragedy."

Gates paid special tribute to four soldiers missing in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom: Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin, captured April 9, 2004; Spc. Ahmed Altaei, captured Oct. 23, 2006; and Spc. Alex Jimenez and Pvt. Byron Fouty, both captured May 12, 2007. "They may not be well known to the public, but within the brotherhood of arms, they will never be forgotten or left behind," Gates pledged.

"These men are the latest additions to the ranks of tens of thousands who remain missing from previous conflicts," the secretary said. "And they are the latest additions to the ranks of those we remember today."

Pace spoke about the families of those missing in action. "Our families, although they never stood in a formation or raised their right hand, ... especially the families of our missing in action, serve our nation as well as anyone who has ever worn the uniform," he said.

The families of the missing "are sacrificing in ways that only those sacrificing with them can possibly understand," he continued. "I don't know how any of us can ease that pain, but I hope in some small way, formations like this today and personal prayers might bring peace and comfort to the families of those missing in action and those members of the armed force who are MIA."

Airmen Missing in Action from Vietnam War are Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

They are Lt. Col. James H. Ayres, of Pampa, Texas, and Lt. Col. Charles W. Stratton, of Dallas, Texas, both U.S. Air Force. Ayres will be buried Aug. 10 in Pampa, and Stratton's burial date is being set by his family.

On Jan. 3, 1971, these men crewed an F-4E Phantom II aircraft departing Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base on a nighttime strike mission of enemy targets in Savannakhet Province, Laos. Shortly after Ayres initiated a target run, the crew of other aircraft in the flight observed a large explosion. No one witnessed an ejection or heard beeper signals, and communication was lost with the aircraft. Hostile activity in the area prevented search and rescue attempts.

In 2001, a joint U.S./Lao People's Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), traveled to Savannakhet Province and interviewed Laotian citizens about their knowledge of aircraft crash sites. One of the men led the team to what was believed to be the Ayres and Stratton crash site.

Later that year, another U.S./L.P.D.R team began excavating the site. The team recovered human remains and aircrew-related items. Between 2002 and 2005, joint teams visited the site six more times to complete the excavation, recovering more human remains and crew-related items.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of the remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

Search Underway for WWII Japanese MIAs in Alaska

The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that a small team of Japanese and U.S. specialists is visiting Attu Island, Alaska, in search of information which may lead them to remains of missing Japanese soldiers.

With support from the Department of Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the team of five Japanese and three Americans arrived Thursday for a four day mission. The team is investigating potential loss or burial sites where the remains of Japanese soldiers may be found. The team's findings will be evaluated by the U.S. and Japanese governments to determine if follow-on excavations are called for.

Primary airlift for the team was provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on a regularly-scheduled C-130 airlift mission from Kodiak to Attu Island. While visiting the island, the team is being housed at the long range navigation station where some Coast Guardsmen have volunteered to assist in the investigations. Attu Island is under the management and protection of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which administers the Aleutian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. At the end of Alaska's Aleutian island chain, Attu is the westernmost point of land of the United States.

In June 1942, a unit of the Japanese Army occupied Attu, capturing and imprisoning many of its inhabitants. U.S. forces began action to recapture the small island in May 1943, where fierce hand-to-hand battles led to about 540 American and 2,300 Japanese deaths. It was the site of the only land battle in WWII in North America.

Shortly after the war, 235 sets of Japanese remains were recovered on Attu by U.S. forces and reburied at Ft. Richardson, near Anchorage, Alaska. The Japanese later disinterred those remains, cremated them as part of a religious ceremony and reburied them at the same location.

The Japanese government assisted U.S. investigators last month in a visit to Iwo Jima in search of information related to American WWII MIAs.

Soldier Missing In Action From WWII Is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Pvt. Lawrence P. Burkett, U.S. Army, of Jefferson, N.C. He will be buried Saturday in Jefferson.

Representatives from the Army met with Burkett's next-of-kin in their hometown to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Army.

In early December 1944, Burkett was a member of Company A, 357th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division. The 90th ID had been assigned the task of breaching the southern portion of the enemy's "West Wall" near the German city of Saarbrücken. The 357th was occupying a bridgehead in the Dillingen Forest near the Saar River when the Germans launched a strong counterattack. The 357th suffered many casualties and on Dec. 11, Burkett was among those listed as missing in action.

In May 2006, U.S. officials were notified that a German citizen had found and dug up the remains of a possible American soldier in a wartime fighting trench in the Dillingen Forest near Saarbraken. The U.S. officials traveled to the site and collected the remains and associated evidence, including Burkett's identification tags and his social security card.

In September 2006, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) excavated the burial site in the Dillingen Forest and recovered additional human remains and material evidence.

Among dental records, other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of the remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

Airmen Missing In Action From WWII is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is 1st Lt. Archibald Kelly, U.S. Army Air Forces, of Detroit, Mich. He will be buried on May 12 in Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly, Mich. Representatives from the Army met with Kelly's next-of-kin in his hometown to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

On July 22, 1944, Kelly was the navigator on a B-24J Liberator on a bombing raid of the oil fields at Ploesti, Romania. Returning to Lecce air base in Italy, the plane was struck by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed in what is now Croatia, approximately 430 miles southwest of Ploesti. Of the ten crewmen on board, eight survived and bailed out of the aircraft before it crashed. The rear gunner died and his body was later recovered. One of the surviving crewmen saw Kelly bail out before the crash, but said he struck a rocky cliff face when the wind caught his parachute. His body was not found at that time.

After researching information contained in U.S. wartime records, specialists from DPMO's Joint Commission Support Directorate (JCSD) in 2005 interviewed residents from Dubrovnik and Mihanici village who had information related to WWII aircraft losses in the area. One resident recalled a crash in which one of the crewmen landed on a pile of rocks on Mt. Snijeznica after his parachute failed to open. He said locals buried the individual. Based on witness descriptions of the burial location, the team searched the mountaintop, but was unable to locate the burial site.

Additional JCSD archival research in Croatia confirmed the earlier information found in U.S. records. In June 2006, the Dubrovnik resident reported to JCSD that he had continued the search and found the grave site of the American serviceman. He sent pictures of both the site and the remains to DPMO. In September 2006, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) team excavated the burial site, confirming with local villagers that it was the same site photographed by the Dubrovnik resident. The team recovered human remains at the site.

Among other traditional forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Kelly's remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

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