MIA Update - March 14, 2022

Presss releases from the DPMO, JTFO, and other related information sources.
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MIA Update - March 14, 2022

#1 Postby boardman » Mon Mar 14, 2022 11:30 am

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


-- Army Air Forces Pfc. Edward H. Benson Jr., 22, of Roanoke, Virginia, was assigned to the 1562nd Army Air Force Base Unit on Biak Island, part of the modern-day Republic of Indonesia. On March 22, 1945, Benson and 39 other service members were killed during a Japanese air raid of Sorido Airstrip. Three individuals, including Benson, could not be identified or accounted for after the attack. He will be buried on May 14, 2022, in his hometown. Read about Benson https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2919133/airman-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-benson-e/.
-- Navy Water Tender 1st Class Oliver K. Burger, 26, of San Pedro, California, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Burger. He will be buried on Aug. 31, 2022, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) in Honolulu. Read about Burger https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2484689/uss-oklahoma-sailor-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-burger-o/.
-- Army Pvt. Edward M. Ryan, 33, of New York City, was a member of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division, which occupied defensive positions along the northwest coast of Saipan as part of a larger operation to secure the Mariana Islands. On July 7, 1944, the commanding general of the Japanese forces ordered a mass suicide charge of his remaining soldiers into the 105th’s line. Ryan was killed during the attack, and posthumously awarded the Bronze Star. Following the war, his remains were declared non-recoverable. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on a date yet to be determined. Read about Ryan https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2839774/soldier-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-ryan-e/.
-- Army Staff Sgt. Casimir P. Lobacz, 25, was assigned to Company E, 11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division. On Sept. 27, 1944, Lobacz’s unit was part of the ground attack on Fort Driant near Metz, France. He was reported to have been killed during the first wave of the assault and his body was unable to be recovered. Read about Lobacz https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2957051/soldier-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-lobacz-c/.
-- Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Newell F. Mills Jr., 21, was assigned to the 354th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group. On April 7, 1945, Mills was piloting a P-51D Mustang fighter escorting a formation of B-24 Liberator bombers to a target in Geesthacht, Germany. When the formation encountered German fighters near Bremen, he and the other escort pilots engaged the Germans. Following the mission, Mills and his wingman never returned to base or were reported as prisoners of war. The War Department issued an administrative Finding of Death on April 8, 1946. Read about Mills https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2958722/pilot-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-mills-n/.
Tom
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