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Identifying Our Missing: April 2017

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 April 2017, DPAA accounted for 12 service members 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

2nd Lt. George S. Bussa, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial

Pvt. Harold S. Hirschi, Headquarters Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group
Walls of the Missing: Manila American Cemetery

Technician 4th Grade John Kovach, Jr., Company C, 192nd Tank Battalion
Walls of the Missing: Manila American Cemetery

1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, 414th Bombardment Squadron, 97th Bombardment Group
Tablets of the Missing: Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery

Seaman 1st Class Milton R. Surratt, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial

Ensign William M. Thompson, USS Oklahoma
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial

Korean War

Sgt. 1st Class Richard G. Cushman, Company A, 72nd Medium Tank Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial

Cpl. Freddie Henson, Battery A, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial

Pfc. Richard A. Lucas, Company C, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial

Pvt. Walter F. Piper, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial

Cpl. Richard J. Seadore, Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division
Courts of the Missing: Honolulu Memorial

Cpl. Leslie R. Sutton, Battery C, 99th Field Artillery Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry 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 26 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.