MIA Update - December 13, 2021

[boardman]

MIA Update:The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced four burial updates for service members who have been missing and unaccounted-for from World War II and Korea. Returning home for burial with full military honors are:

--Army Pfc. Anthony F. Mendonca, 28, of Waipahu, Hawaii, was assigned to Company A, 106th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. He was reported killed in action on June 28, 1944, when American forces participated in the battle for Saipan, part of a larger operation to secure the Mariana islands. Mendonca will be buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu on Dec. 16, 2021. Read about Mendonca https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2146867/soldier-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-mendonca-a/.
-- Army Pfc. Morris E. Swackhammer, 20, of Binghamton, New York, was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. In August, his unit landed on the southern coast of France as part of Operation Dragoon. On Nov. 22, 1944, Swackhammer’s unit engaged in a heavy firefight with enemy troops in a wooded area northwest of Fraize. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The date has yet to be determined. Read about Swackhammer https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2683550/soldier-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-swackhammer-m/.
-- Army Cpl. Benjamin R. Bazzell, 18, of Seymour, Connecticut, was assigned to Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported killed in action on Nov. 30, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered. Bazzell will be buried in Kent, Washington. The date has yet to be determined. Read about Bazzell https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2155836/soldier-accounted-for-from-korean-war-bazzell-b/.
-- Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Anel B. Shay, Jr., 26, of Seattle, was assigned to 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Shay was serving as a bombardier crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire. Following the war, his remains could not be identified. Shay will be buried in his hometown. The date has yet to be determined. Read about Shay https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2679774/airman-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-shay-a/.