Photo By Master Sgt. Kathrine Dodd | U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Austin, left, Larry Magaoay, Casualty Assistance...... read more read more
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“Returning him home, for me, is something I take very seriously,” said Austin. “From the military standpoint, I’ve been in the service over 17 years now and this was an honor for me to do, even if it wasn’t my family member. This is someone who died for us.”
On the afternoon of October 12, 1944, Allen’s squadron dispatched 12 P-47 aircraft on an armored-reconnaissance and dive-bombing mission to support the VII Corps armored column in the vicinity of Aachen, Germany. After the mission, all of the planes, except for Allen’s, returned to base. The squadron mission report noted, “… that a P-47 was seen to crash in the vicinity of the dogfight and for the present [2nd Lt Allen] is being carried [missing in action] MIA.”
“He is someone I’ve known about for years but only recently started learning about this process,” said Austin. “Now I’m here to return him home.”
Allen was finally accounted for on July 26, 2017, after DPAA teams disinterred his grave at the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium.
“I take great pride in the ability to be a part of laying him to his final resting place,” said Austin.
The mission of DPAA is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 05.21.2018 17:59 |
| Story ID: | 277805 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Time to Go Home, by TSgt Leah Ferrante, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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