Identifying Our Missing: October 2016 Identifications from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
In World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, millions of Americans served far from home. In the various conflicts, service members fought in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific. They traversed mountains in Italy, France, Korea and Vietnam. They trudged through the tropical jungles of the Philippines. And they fought in countless other locations. They touched nearly all corners of the globe. Because of the geographic challenges, the use of air and naval power, and the inherent dangers of an active war zone, Americans that lost their lives were not always recovered. Today, nearly 83,000 are unaccounted for from these conflicts. But the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is working to change this. DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) also has a role in the history of honoring the missing individual. Every American that was considered missing in action, or lost or buried at sea from World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War is commemorated on Walls of the Missing at an ABMC cemetery or memorial. The names of the missing remain permanently inscribed, even after the individual is recovered, identified and accounted for. To denote that the person is no longer missing, ABMC adds a rosette next to the name.
During October 2016, DPAA accounted for six men who lost their lives in World War II or the Korean War. ABMC will add a rosette next to each of the following names:
World War II
Field Musician 1st Class Warren Gordon Nelson, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Korean War
Maj. Jack D. Griffiths, Headquarters, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Battalion
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Cpl. Melvin R. Hill, X Corps, Heavy Mortar Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Sgt. James E. Martin, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Cpl. Donald E. Matney, Company H, 2nd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
Pfc. Lavern C. Ullmer, Company B, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial
About ABMC:
Established by Congress in 1923, the American Battle Monuments Commission commemorates the service, achievements, and sacrifice of U.S. armed forces. ABMC administers 25 overseas military cemeteries, and 27 memorials, monuments, and markers.
About DPAA:
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation. For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil , find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420.