WEBVTT

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Uh , my name is Jennifer Nazarenko . I

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am the director for outreach and

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communications . I want to welcome you

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to our family member update . Uh , at

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this time , if you are able , we will

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ask you to stand for the posting of the

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colors and the singing of the national

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anthem .

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I'm too low . I feel like I'm going to

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be higher . Is what ?

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Important colors .

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Around step , ready from Steph .

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That face .

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you the

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believe What's so

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the And the

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gleaming . broad stripes and

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I

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or But

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Watched was so .

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streaming .

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The bombs

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then still

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Oh That's

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a spangled .

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Thank you , you can take your seats .

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Uh , we would like to , uh , give a

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special thanks to the Vietnam Veterans

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of America , chapter 154 for presenting

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the colors today and to Miss Allison

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for the beautiful rendition of the

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national anthem .

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We're here this morning to provide an

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update on our efforts to recover and

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account your account for your loved

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ones that were lost during our nation's

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past conflicts . There are about 100

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government officials here today to

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support you , the families . We'll

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provide briefings on our efforts to

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answer questions and meet with you to

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discuss your loved ones' cases . There

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are 535 family members with us today

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representing 305 cases of men

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who made the ultimate sacrifice so that

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we can enjoy our freedoms .

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Through you uh today , we hope to learn

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the stories of your loved ones and get

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to know these men better . We were last

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here in Detroit in September of 2017 .

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And we had 295 family members present ,

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representing 233 unaccounted for .

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Today , we have over 428 family members

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who are attending for the first time .

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So welcome to you . If this is your

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first time attending a family update ,

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would you please raise your hand ? My

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goodness , that's amazing . We would

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also like to recognize any veterans in

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the room . If you are a veteran , if

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you could please stand and be

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recognized if able .

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Thank you very much for your service .

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As some of you may , may have seen when

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you arrived , we have a very unique and

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special guest with us today . We have

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Annie , who is a certified therapy

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dog from an organization , uh ,

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nationally recognized organization ,

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Love on a Leash . Uh , she's here to

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meet with you , to give you comfort and

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to just greet you and , and so please

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feel free to um meet with Annie and her

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handler Kayla .

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I ask Amy if she works .

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All right . In recognition of our , of

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our thanks for your participation today ,

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understanding what an important

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difference Annie makes here , uh , for

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this , this , uh , uh emotional event ,

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um , we wanted to show you , uh , give

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you a little , a little token of our

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appreciation . It's a collage of the

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work that we do here at DPAA and a

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little note from our , uh , director ,

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uh , Kelly McKay . So thank you very

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much , Caitlin .

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Thank you very much . I would also like

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to introduce you to some of our senior

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leaders , um , from DPAA . First , our

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principal deputy director , Mrs .

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Jennifer Walsh .

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Next , our deputy director for

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Operations , Captain Megan Bodner .

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Our Chief of Staff , Air Force Colonel

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Derek Rankin , who is not in the room

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right now , but you will meet him later .

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Uh , he'll be doing a presentation .

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And our senior enlisted leader , uh ,

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Army Sergeant Major . Flores , she is

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not in the room either , um , but you

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will see her shortly also . Uh , we

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also have a few of our senior staff

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directors in the room . Uh , here with

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us today is our director for Europe

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Mediterranean , uh , Ms . Heather

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Harris , our director for Indo-Pacific ,

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Mr . Chris Phelps . You'll see him in

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the back of the room . Our director for

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Information Technology , Mr . Mike

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Hartebeck , also in the back of the

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room . And our director for

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Partnerships and innovations , Mr .

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Rocky Gillette , and you will hear from

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Rocky uh later today for a briefing .

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There are bios in the programs on your

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table of our senior staff and also of

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all the presenters , uh , today .

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So just a quick little um overview of

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our agenda . It's up on the screen for

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your reference and we also have copies

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in your , the books , the program books

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on your table . In addition to the

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agenda booklet , you will see uh . Uh ,

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some folders or some , um , on your

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table , some survey codes . If you are

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of mind from a technology standpoint

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and would like to do your survey , uh ,

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digitally , please just scan the QR

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code . If not , in your folders , there

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are hard copies of the survey . We very

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much appreciate your feedback . It , it

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helps us to improve our meetings .

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Also , if you parked here in the hotel

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and you would like to have your parking

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validated , if you'll see Mr . Greg

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Hayes , who was at the registration

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table , he will give you a validation

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for your parking .

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As you can see up on the stage , um ,

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is the 2026 National POWMI Recognition

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Day poster . In 1979 , President Jimmy

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Carter established the National POWMIA

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Recognition Day . This day is observed

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annually on the 3rd Friday of September .

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The day was established to honor

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veterans who were held as POWs and

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those who remain missing today . Each

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year the president issues a

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presidential proclamation to

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commemorate the day , and every year

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DPAA creates a poster to recognize the

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debt we owe to the sacrifice for their

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freed the sacrifice that they made for

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our freedom . The poster is available

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if you're interested in ordering it um

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on DPAA's website . It was designed by

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Army Sergeant Ashley Maxwell , who is

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here today . She's a photographer with

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DPAA and Ashley , if you would please

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come up , uh , she'll give you a brief

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overview on the inspiration for the

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poster and the symbolism behind it .

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Good morning and welcome . Um , I just

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wanna start by saying what a privilege

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it is to be up here and to have this

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opportunity to talk to you all . Um ,

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so , designing this poster , um , I

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wanted every element to reflect not

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just DPA's mission , but it's promise .

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So at the center of the poster , is the

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gold star and it represents you all .

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All of the family members who have

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sacrificed so much . It stands as a

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symbol of loss but also strength . It's

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a reminder of why this mission matters

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and why we continue our work .

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Overlaying the gold star is the POW MIA

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flag . This represents , um , how the

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families carry the memory of their

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loved ones every day . It reflects your

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role in preserving their legacy and

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their memory , ensuring that they're

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never forgotten . And finally , the

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warrior ethos ties it all together .

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It's the mindset behind the mission and

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the commitment to never leaving anyone

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behind . It drives the work forward and

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serves . As a constant reminder of the

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responsibility we carry . This is my

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last event with DPA before I move on to

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serve as a drill sergeant . Uh , this

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is very bittersweet for me , and the

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mission that DPA does , um , will ,

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will go with me wherever I go . I'll

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carry it with me . Thank you .

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Good morning , everyone . Uh ,

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so my name is Sergeant Major Flores . I

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am the senior enlisted advisor for this

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entire DOD agency , and I'm up here to

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tell you guys a little bit about

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Sergeant Maxwell . As she stated a

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little bit , right , she just graduated

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from the United States Army Drill

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Sergeant Academy , and if you guys

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don't know what that is , thank you .

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To give you guys an idea , the top 1%

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of the United States Army is selected

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to attend the drill sergeant Academy ,

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and of that top 1% , there's about a

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50% attrition rate . So if you put that

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in perspective , that this is one of

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the top non-commissioned officers in

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the United States Army , and she's

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about to embark on probably the funnest

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assignment , the funnest in the United

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States Army . She will be shaping . The

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future of the army . She will be taking

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a civilian and making them a soldier ,

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and Also that poster . So if I could

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get another like gigantic round of

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applause for that .

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Thank you , Sergeant Major Flores and

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Sergeant Maxwell .

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It is my pleasure to introduce you to

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our Chief of Staff Colonel Derek Rankin .

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He assumed his position in July of 2025

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and is responsible for staff

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synchronization , coordination of

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strategic planning efforts , and

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administrative actions to achieve the

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agency's goal of the fullest possible

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accounting and the nation with the ,

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with the , excuse me , um , to our

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missing personnel and the nation . So

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Colonel Rankin .

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Good morning , everyone . Welcome to

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the Detroit family member update hosted

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by the Defense POW MIA Accounting

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Agency or DPAA . On behalf of my

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fantastic co-host who just had to step

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out for a case summary , our Deputy

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Director of Operations , Captain Megan

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Bodner , and the rest of our incredible

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staff , it is a profound honor to be in

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your presence and share with you what

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the Department of War is doing to

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execute the fullest possible accounting

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for those who remain missing from our

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nation's past conflicts . To the

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population that we serve , you , our

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families . And especially to our

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newcomers , which I hear we have over

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400 of . We thank you for being here

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with us today , and I applaud each of

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you for attending , connecting , and

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sharing your valuable stories with us

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and to hopefully get some answers that

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perhaps you've been waiting on for

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decades . So at DPAA ,

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our core principles are clear . We rely

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on collaboration and innovation ,

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continually pushing the boundaries of

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science while upholding the strictest

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standards of integrity in all of our

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work . This dedication spans from

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world-class laboratories in Nebraska

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and Hawaii and all the way to our field

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recovery missions at sites around the

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world . Our dedicated team of over 700

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professionals comprised of military

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personnel and civilians work with a

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shared focus , a sacred obligation to a

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sacred mission to achieve the fullest

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possible accounting for our missing

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heroes , always treating their remains ,

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their legacies , and their families

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with the deepest compassion and respect .

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At DPAA we embody the warrior ethos ,

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as you saw on that poster , to never

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leave a fallen comrade behind , and I

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will tell you at DPAA we live that

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warrior ethos every single day .

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And so I'm going to take just a few

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minutes to show you exactly what that

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warrior ethos looks like . Please play

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the video .

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We write no last chapters .

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We close no books . We

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put away no final memories . An

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end to America's involvement in Vietnam

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cannot come before we have achieved the

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fullest possible accounting of those

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missing in action .

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Why keep searching ? The answer is

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simple . You never leave a fallen

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American behind . The mission of the

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Defense POW MIA Accounting Agency or

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DPAA is to provide the fullest possible

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accounting for our missing personnel to

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their families and their nation .

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Strategically located in Arlington ,

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Virginia with major facilities at Joint

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Base Pearl Harbor , Hickam , Hawaii and

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Offutt Air Force Base , Nebraska , the

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more than 600 person defense agency is

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jointly manned by soldiers , sailors ,

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airmen , and Marines . And Department

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of Defense civilians with specialized

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skills . Researching Recovering

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Identifying and ultimately returning an

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individual to their family begins with

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analysis and investigation . The

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DPAA experts begin the search by

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studying all known information

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regarding the circumstances of each

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loss . Historians and analysts gather

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information from US veterans , foreign

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witnesses , archival records , and

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other sources . They then create a case

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file for each unaccounted for American .

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This file may include historical

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records , official correspondence ,

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maps , photographs , daily activity

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logs , and medical and personnel

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records of the missing person . These

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files are continually updated until an

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identification is made . Once the

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research has been done here , uh , and

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we get the command's approval , we send

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out small teams . It could be 2 people ,

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it could be a 10 person team conducting

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interviews at a , at a villager's house ,

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at a district office , or a combination

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of of going to the site first and , and

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then conducting the interviews on site .

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Once all available information is

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analyzed , a decision can be made to

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disinter individuals buried as unknown

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or conduct field investigations .

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During a typical investigation mission ,

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personnel interview potential witnesses ,

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conduct on-site reconnaissance . And

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survey terrain for safety and

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logistical concerns . Teams also try to

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generate new leads that may result in

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future recoveries . The main goal of

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the investigation is to obtain enough

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information to correlate or connect a

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particular site with one or more

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missing Americans . If enough on-site

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evidence is found , the site will be

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recommended for recovery and excavation .

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Recovery sites range in size from a few

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square meters , such as in individual

19:51.380 --> 19:53.900
burials , to areas larger than football

19:53.900 --> 19:57.819
fields for aircraft crashes . DPAA

19:57.819 --> 20:00.280
may hire as many as 100 local workers

20:00.500 --> 20:02.719
to help with the excavation process .

20:03.060 --> 20:06.500
This job has so many benefits for me

20:06.500 --> 20:08.500
personally . It's an opportunity to

20:08.500 --> 20:10.333
serve the country , but also our

20:10.333 --> 20:12.500
fighting forces and kind of contribute

20:12.500 --> 20:14.722
to that as well . Professionally , it's

20:14.722 --> 20:16.889
just an incredible challenge to get to

20:16.889 --> 20:19.222
work in all the countries where we work ,

20:19.222 --> 20:21.333
to travel to these amazing sites . to

20:21.333 --> 20:23.556
work with the local villagers and local

20:23.556 --> 20:25.500
officials , uh , and just have the

20:25.500 --> 20:27.389
opportunity to give somebody some

20:27.389 --> 20:29.389
answers after decades of waiting to

20:29.389 --> 20:31.500
know what happened to their loved one

20:31.500 --> 20:33.611
and , you know , maybe just wrestling

20:33.611 --> 20:35.464
with the grief that that lack of

20:35.464 --> 20:37.631
information and lack of answers brings

20:37.675 --> 20:39.842
we have the chance to resolve that for

20:39.842 --> 20:42.008
them and and that's just an incredible

20:42.008 --> 20:43.920
opportunity . Investigative and

20:43.920 --> 20:46.280
recovery missions in search of missing

20:46.280 --> 20:49.400
Americans take DPAA personnel to

20:49.400 --> 20:52.540
distant , remote , and often dangerous

20:52.540 --> 20:55.160
locations all over the globe , rice

20:55.160 --> 20:57.800
paddies in Southeast Asia , areas on

20:57.800 --> 21:00.880
the Korean Peninsula , 16,000 ft

21:00.880 --> 21:04.099
mountaintops in the Himalayas . An

21:04.099 --> 21:06.459
underwater sites off the coast of Papua

21:06.459 --> 21:09.339
New Guinea . And we still continue to

21:09.339 --> 21:11.561
search the battlefields of World War II

21:11.561 --> 21:14.640
throughout Europe . After a successful

21:14.640 --> 21:16.800
recovery , all evidence is then

21:16.800 --> 21:19.770
transported to the DPAA laboratories .

21:20.359 --> 21:22.880
Once they've arrived in the lab . The

21:22.880 --> 21:25.560
painstaking process of identification

21:25.560 --> 21:28.040
begins . This is the final step of the

21:28.040 --> 21:30.800
mission , leading to the return of an

21:30.800 --> 21:33.569
individual . In many of the cases , an

21:33.569 --> 21:35.625
important step in the identification

21:35.625 --> 21:38.530
process is DNA analysis , which is

21:38.530 --> 21:40.949
accomplished by cutting a bone sample

21:41.130 --> 21:43.390
that is sent to the Armed Forces DNA

21:43.390 --> 21:46.869
identification laboratory . One of the

21:46.869 --> 21:50.349
challenges DPAA faces today is the lack

21:50.349 --> 21:52.182
of reference samples from family

21:52.182 --> 21:54.530
members of those still unaccounted for .

21:54.949 --> 21:56.893
Any person who is a relative of an

21:56.893 --> 21:59.430
unaccounted for American is encouraged

21:59.430 --> 22:01.670
to contact their service casualty

22:01.670 --> 22:03.670
office to ensure there is a DNA

22:03.670 --> 22:06.109
reference sample on file for that

22:06.109 --> 22:09.520
service member . DPAA makes an

22:09.520 --> 22:11.609
identification when all available

22:11.609 --> 22:14.839
evidence remains , artifacts and

22:14.839 --> 22:17.209
historical documents point to the same

22:17.209 --> 22:20.300
person . The ID process can take

22:20.300 --> 22:22.411
anywhere from a few months to several

22:22.411 --> 22:24.579
years to complete . Any unresolved

22:24.579 --> 22:26.746
cases are kept open with the hope that

22:26.746 --> 22:28.979
new evidence will be found or new

22:28.979 --> 22:31.146
technologies will be developed to make

22:31.146 --> 22:35.079
a future identification possible . Once

22:35.079 --> 22:37.810
an American has been identified , there

22:37.810 --> 22:39.650
remains a return to their family

22:39.650 --> 22:41.483
through their respective service

22:41.483 --> 22:44.020
casualty office . Their returned home

22:44.020 --> 22:47.140
with full military honors and given the

22:47.140 --> 22:49.029
respect they earned through their

22:49.029 --> 22:51.362
service and sacrifice for their country .

22:51.550 --> 22:54.689
Oh , as a family member , this agency

22:55.150 --> 22:58.790
to me is doing . Phenomenal work

22:58.969 --> 23:01.910
and in a very personal way .

23:02.989 --> 23:06.709
Because when Somebody loses

23:06.709 --> 23:10.030
somebody like my father , and you

23:10.030 --> 23:13.869
really don't know . What the story

23:13.869 --> 23:17.229
is for 70 years and then you find an

23:17.229 --> 23:20.589
agency that knows about him and keeps

23:20.589 --> 23:23.739
his , his memory alive , keeps the

23:23.739 --> 23:26.030
mission alive to try to find him .

23:28.199 --> 23:30.421
It's very meaningful in a very personal

23:30.421 --> 23:34.290
way . Because it means you're not just

23:34.290 --> 23:37.609
doing this yourself alone , you have a

23:37.609 --> 23:40.609
whole body of people who are concerned

23:40.609 --> 23:43.670
about finding your dad . And bringing

23:43.670 --> 23:46.630
it home That says something about how

23:46.630 --> 23:50.510
we honor our dead , particularly those

23:50.510 --> 23:52.910
who have served this nation . I'm very

23:52.910 --> 23:56.670
grateful to all of the DPAA and the

23:56.670 --> 23:59.829
related agencies . The military in

23:59.829 --> 24:03.030
general , as they've pursued this in

24:03.030 --> 24:06.140
our government . And for our citizens

24:06.140 --> 24:08.196
because they think it's an important

24:08.196 --> 24:10.410
enough mission to continue the way we

24:10.410 --> 24:13.739
value life and very few nations , very

24:13.739 --> 24:15.850
few nations , I don't think any other

24:15.850 --> 24:19.540
nation to this degree does this . Which ,

24:20.160 --> 24:22.104
you know , makes me proud to be an

24:22.104 --> 24:24.880
American . I just wanted to yell

24:25.920 --> 24:28.449
openly to everybody out there , he's

24:28.449 --> 24:32.339
home , he's home . I couldn't

24:32.339 --> 24:34.339
believe it . And when I went up and

24:34.339 --> 24:36.450
touched his name , I thought you're .

24:37.130 --> 24:40.810
Yeah . It's unbelievable . I'm glad .

24:41.819 --> 24:44.097
I live in the United States of America .

24:45.300 --> 24:47.133
And that we have this attitude .

24:48.339 --> 24:52.310
Leaving the man behind . We

24:52.310 --> 24:55.310
are , we're so fortunate . I want you

24:55.310 --> 24:57.959
to know , and I know from my own

24:57.959 --> 25:00.181
experience that if something's happened

25:00.181 --> 25:02.630
to you , we will be looking for you .

25:05.800 --> 25:08.180
The men and women of the Defense POW

25:08.180 --> 25:11.640
MIA Accounting Agency are united in

25:11.640 --> 25:13.751
their effort to recover and return as

25:13.751 --> 25:15.584
many of our missing personnel as

25:15.584 --> 25:18.319
possible . One more patriot returned ,

25:18.939 --> 25:21.106
one more family that now has answers .

25:22.050 --> 25:24.579
One more step In fulfilling our

25:24.579 --> 25:25.729
nation's promise .

25:33.709 --> 25:36.170
Towards the end of that video . There's

25:36.170 --> 25:38.489
a message that we always want to relay .

25:39.219 --> 25:41.163
It's that for those servicemen and

25:41.163 --> 25:43.459
women who are serving today , that

25:43.459 --> 25:45.626
should something happen to them , once

25:45.626 --> 25:48.660
hostilities cease . There's an agency

25:49.040 --> 25:51.189
that knows your story and will bring

25:51.189 --> 25:54.160
you home . So some background about the

25:54.160 --> 25:57.520
EPAA . In 2015 , then Secretary of

25:57.520 --> 26:00.000
Defense Chuck Hagel was directed by

26:00.000 --> 26:02.222
Congress to consolidate the entire past

26:02.222 --> 26:04.111
conflict accounting effort into a

26:04.111 --> 26:06.119
single agency . The agency was then

26:06.119 --> 26:08.230
established to ensure the achievement

26:08.230 --> 26:10.452
of the fullest possible accounting , as

26:10.452 --> 26:12.675
well as the establishment of individual

26:12.675 --> 26:14.675
case files for all of the missing .

26:14.675 --> 26:16.680
Additionally , DPA established a

26:16.680 --> 26:18.869
public-private partnership effort to

26:18.869 --> 26:21.119
expand the capabilities to conduct the

26:21.119 --> 26:23.063
accounting mission because you can

26:23.063 --> 26:25.119
never build a team large enough to

26:25.119 --> 26:27.650
accomplish this sacred mission . Our

26:27.650 --> 26:29.594
partners , they help provide vital

26:29.594 --> 26:32.410
research , resources and technology to

26:32.410 --> 26:34.577
help this mission evolve and help find

26:34.577 --> 26:36.689
the answers that we all are searching

26:36.689 --> 26:39.530
for . And lastly , Congress gave us a

26:39.530 --> 26:42.050
mandate for DPAA to build the

26:42.050 --> 26:44.390
capability and the capacity to account

26:44.729 --> 26:46.840
for at least 200 individuals a year ,

26:46.930 --> 26:49.729
an effort that the agency tirelessly

26:49.729 --> 26:53.170
pursues . So the scope of DPA's mission

26:53.170 --> 26:55.609
begins with World War II and extends to

26:55.609 --> 26:58.689
present day . Of the over 80,000

26:58.689 --> 27:00.911
unaccounted for spanning from World War

27:00.911 --> 27:03.890
II , about 38,000 we believe can be

27:03.890 --> 27:06.689
recovered . And that's largely because

27:07.089 --> 27:09.256
many of our unaccounted for are due to

27:09.256 --> 27:11.422
deep sea losses or high-speed aircraft

27:11.422 --> 27:13.533
crashes where the remains were either

27:13.533 --> 27:15.533
fully consumed or they were damaged

27:15.533 --> 27:19.030
beyond our ability to get DNA . However ,

27:19.420 --> 27:21.587
you're going to hear about some of the

27:21.587 --> 27:23.531
new technological efforts that our

27:23.531 --> 27:25.698
teams have developed . We have not yet

27:25.739 --> 27:27.961
quite got to the point where we can get

27:27.961 --> 27:30.017
DNA out of heavily charred remains ,

27:30.017 --> 27:32.380
but we believe someday there's going to

27:32.380 --> 27:34.459
be the ability to do just that .

27:35.949 --> 27:38.229
DPA's mission said , it's widely seen

27:38.229 --> 27:40.062
and recognized as humanitarian ,

27:40.430 --> 27:42.930
spanning 54 countries around the globe .

27:43.589 --> 27:45.867
Because of DPAA's humanitarian mission ,

27:46.060 --> 27:48.171
we have a unique capability to access

27:48.171 --> 27:50.270
nations where other government

27:50.270 --> 27:52.159
organizations are unable to enter

27:52.159 --> 27:54.381
because of the special relationships we

27:54.381 --> 27:56.603
established through our mission to open

27:56.603 --> 27:59.589
the door with those host nations . The

27:59.589 --> 28:01.670
interest of our mission set from the

28:01.670 --> 28:04.630
families , it's monumental as evidenced

28:04.630 --> 28:06.741
by your amazing presence with us here

28:06.741 --> 28:09.390
today . It is our endeavor to continue

28:09.390 --> 28:11.612
to spread the word about the accounting

28:11.612 --> 28:13.723
mission and to continue to hold these

28:13.723 --> 28:16.349
updates so that you , our families can

28:16.349 --> 28:19.010
connect and gain new and vital

28:19.010 --> 28:21.232
information . You're going to hear this

28:21.232 --> 28:23.288
plug a few times today . If you have

28:23.288 --> 28:25.232
not yet donated a family reference

28:25.232 --> 28:27.489
sample or DNA , which is a simple cheek

28:27.489 --> 28:29.489
swab , the Armed Forces Medical

28:29.489 --> 28:32.130
Examiner System AIS has a table right

28:32.130 --> 28:34.297
outside the room where they can assist

28:34.297 --> 28:36.186
you in providing family reference

28:36.186 --> 28:38.186
samples . When we have remains that

28:38.186 --> 28:40.408
come into the lab , we cannot make that

28:40.408 --> 28:42.408
identification until we have DNA to

28:42.408 --> 28:44.463
compare it to . This is a critically

28:44.463 --> 28:46.630
important step within the process . So

28:46.630 --> 28:48.852
please , if you have not yet provided a

28:48.852 --> 28:51.074
family reference sample , take the time

28:51.074 --> 28:53.297
to do so , and I will be joining you as

28:53.297 --> 28:55.408
well today . Thank you to our veteran

28:55.408 --> 28:57.186
service organizations for their

28:57.186 --> 28:59.130
interest and support of the Sacred

28:59.130 --> 29:01.241
Accounting mission . Their advocacy ,

29:01.241 --> 29:03.989
it's immense . Their voices are loud ,

29:04.530 --> 29:06.474
and it is another indicator of the

29:06.474 --> 29:08.689
passion we as Americans have for our

29:08.689 --> 29:10.856
service members and the worker ethos .

29:11.540 --> 29:13.939
This mission is complex and it cannot

29:13.939 --> 29:16.040
be conducted alone . It requires our

29:16.040 --> 29:18.540
partners , support from Congress , the

29:18.540 --> 29:20.959
veterans groups , and most importantly ,

29:21.459 --> 29:23.099
you , our families .

29:25.439 --> 29:27.661
On this slide , you'll see our plan for

29:27.661 --> 29:30.609
the fiscal year 2026 . The fiscal year

29:30.609 --> 29:32.609
kicked off on the 1st of October of

29:32.609 --> 29:35.089
2025 and will run through 30 September

29:35.089 --> 29:38.530
of 2026 . This year , our plan has us

29:38.530 --> 29:40.209
operating in 28 countries and

29:40.209 --> 29:42.479
territories around the world , spanning

29:42.479 --> 29:45.329
25 investigation teams and 41 recovery

29:45.329 --> 29:47.890
teams . Later today , you will have the

29:47.890 --> 29:49.946
opportunity to hear about the day in

29:49.946 --> 29:53.750
the life of a recovery team . A few

29:53.750 --> 29:56.869
updates of note . First , I am proud to

29:56.869 --> 29:59.859
share that this past fiscal year , DPAA

29:59.859 --> 30:03.270
achieved a historic milestone , 231

30:03.270 --> 30:06.069
identifications of our missing . Due to

30:06.069 --> 30:08.236
the tireless efforts of the entire DPA

30:08.236 --> 30:11.189
18 . Bearing any unforeseen challenges ,

30:11.760 --> 30:13.871
we hope to continue that success into

30:13.871 --> 30:16.640
the remainder of fiscal year 2026 . And

30:16.640 --> 30:18.760
as we speak , we have multiple teams

30:18.760 --> 30:21.160
deployed around the globe , Southeast

30:21.160 --> 30:23.119
Asia and Europe , where they're

30:23.119 --> 30:25.175
continuously working to identify our

30:25.175 --> 30:27.286
missing personnel from past conflicts

30:27.286 --> 30:29.452
and hopefully provide those answers to

30:29.452 --> 30:32.270
you , our families . Over the last 40

30:32.270 --> 30:35.479
years , DPAA has had great cooperation

30:35.479 --> 30:37.500
with our Vietnamese , Laotian , and

30:37.500 --> 30:40.459
Cambodian counterparts . South Korea is

30:40.459 --> 30:42.626
another important partner of ours . In

30:42.626 --> 30:44.792
fact , they have established an agency

30:44.792 --> 30:47.520
that is quite similar to DPAA . It is

30:47.520 --> 30:49.742
called the Ministry of National Defense

30:49.742 --> 30:51.853
for KIA Recovery and Identification ,

30:51.853 --> 30:54.076
or MACRI . To those of you who are part

30:54.076 --> 30:56.410
of the Korean War families , this

30:56.410 --> 30:58.410
organization is not only working on

30:58.410 --> 31:00.688
behalf of the United States government ,

31:00.688 --> 31:02.910
but they also pay respect and homage to

31:02.910 --> 31:04.910
the families . They understand your

31:04.910 --> 31:08.670
sacrifice . In 2018 ,

31:08.989 --> 31:10.933
following the successful Singapore

31:10.933 --> 31:13.829
summit , DPAA received 55 boxes of

31:13.829 --> 31:16.109
remains from North Korea . The picture

31:16.109 --> 31:18.390
in the center of the slide depicts our

31:18.390 --> 31:21.040
very own Dr . John Bird and team of the

31:21.040 --> 31:23.040
Korean People's Army in North Korea

31:23.040 --> 31:25.829
collecting the 55 boxes . Once assessed

31:25.829 --> 31:28.150
back to the lab , we discovered that

31:28.150 --> 31:30.869
there were not 55 individuals , but

31:30.869 --> 31:34.140
there were actually 250 individuals

31:34.469 --> 31:37.510
represented in those 55 boxes . Since

31:37.510 --> 31:39.621
we recovered those remains from North

31:39.621 --> 31:42.089
Korea , we have now identified over 100

31:42.089 --> 31:44.500
missing service members out of that

31:44.500 --> 31:47.109
population . Additionally , our team

31:47.109 --> 31:49.170
was able to discern between American

31:49.390 --> 31:51.510
and South Korean remains , and we've

31:51.510 --> 31:53.469
been able to repatriate 90 sets of

31:53.469 --> 31:55.640
remains back to South Korea . Because

31:56.030 --> 31:57.949
of this monumental effort , those

31:57.949 --> 32:00.060
family members who have been told for

32:00.060 --> 32:02.116
decades that your loved one is still

32:02.116 --> 32:04.227
missing in North Korea got the call .

32:04.227 --> 32:07.560
So please . Stay hopeful , stay in

32:07.560 --> 32:09.616
contact . Provide a family reference

32:09.616 --> 32:12.089
sample . Those key factors help us in

32:12.089 --> 32:14.150
identifying our missing , your loved

32:14.150 --> 32:17.579
ones , our nation's heroes . In

32:17.579 --> 32:20.750
2024 , cooperation with China renewed ,

32:21.030 --> 32:23.086
paving the way for multiple recovery

32:23.086 --> 32:25.197
missions . From one of those recovery

32:25.197 --> 32:27.419
missions that took place in the fall of

32:27.419 --> 32:29.910
2024 , DPAA was successful and was able

32:29.910 --> 32:33.760
to recover a set of remains . DPAA

32:33.760 --> 32:35.871
will continue to do everything within

32:35.871 --> 32:37.927
our ability to gain access to places

32:37.927 --> 32:39.871
where our missing can be found and

32:39.871 --> 32:41.649
hopefully provide answers . And

32:41.649 --> 32:43.871
speaking of answers , I'd like to share

32:43.871 --> 32:46.204
a story that truly embodies our mission .

32:46.280 --> 32:48.400
It's the story of a local hero whose

32:48.400 --> 32:52.119
journey home took 80 years . Ladies and

32:52.119 --> 32:54.550
gentlemen , Navy Ensign Eugene Esmond

32:54.550 --> 32:57.380
Mandeberg . Eugene was born on December

32:57.380 --> 33:00.709
22 , 1921 , right here in Detroit ,

33:00.780 --> 33:03.439
Michigan . Before his military service ,

33:03.660 --> 33:05.660
he graduated from the University of

33:05.660 --> 33:07.882
Michigan with aspirations of becoming a

33:07.882 --> 33:10.219
writer . However , Eugene answered the

33:10.219 --> 33:12.219
call of service , and he joined the

33:12.219 --> 33:14.979
United States Navy as a pilot and was

33:14.979 --> 33:17.201
stationed with Navy Fighter Squadron 88

33:17.201 --> 33:19.257
aboard the USS Yorktown during World

33:19.257 --> 33:22.199
War II . On August 15th ,

33:22.319 --> 33:26.000
1945 , at the age of 23 , Ensign

33:26.000 --> 33:28.239
Mananderberg was flying his F-6F

33:28.239 --> 33:30.406
Hellcat fighter while returning to the

33:30.406 --> 33:32.810
aircraft carrier . This mission

33:33.510 --> 33:35.399
happened to occur on the very day

33:35.810 --> 33:38.319
Japan's surrender was announced . As

33:38.319 --> 33:40.319
this formation was returning to the

33:40.319 --> 33:42.486
Yorktown , they were ambushed by enemy

33:42.486 --> 33:44.708
fighters , and during this final tragic

33:44.708 --> 33:46.708
battle , Eugene's aircraft was shot

33:46.708 --> 33:49.739
down . At the time of his death , his

33:49.739 --> 33:51.628
remains could not be identified ,

33:51.628 --> 33:53.795
leading to his official designation as

33:53.795 --> 33:55.795
missing in action . An unidentified

33:55.795 --> 33:58.017
unidentified remains believed to be his

33:58.140 --> 34:00.859
were later interred as an unknown at

34:00.859 --> 34:02.859
the Manila American Cemetery in the

34:02.859 --> 34:06.520
Philippines . In 2019 , DPA

34:06.800 --> 34:09.022
disinterred those remains and sent them

34:09.022 --> 34:11.244
to our laboratory in Hawaii for study ,

34:11.244 --> 34:13.078
and then to the Armed Forces DNA

34:13.078 --> 34:15.300
Identification Laboratory in Delaware .

34:16.260 --> 34:18.100
The age of the remains made

34:18.100 --> 34:20.739
identification difficult . Traditional

34:20.739 --> 34:22.739
DNA testing methods , which require

34:22.739 --> 34:24.961
samples from close relatives , were not

34:24.961 --> 34:27.569
sufficient to identify him . Therefore ,

34:27.729 --> 34:30.009
scientists employed a groundbreaking

34:30.009 --> 34:32.928
and new method called single nucleotide

34:32.928 --> 34:36.780
polymorphism or SNPS . Unlike older

34:36.780 --> 34:39.340
methods , the SNP technology allowed us

34:39.340 --> 34:41.800
to prove a definitive family link

34:41.959 --> 34:44.179
across further generations . This was

34:44.179 --> 34:47.219
critical for Eugene's case , enabling a

34:47.219 --> 34:49.540
successful DNA match using samples from

34:49.540 --> 34:52.649
his nephew and maternal cousin . Using

34:52.649 --> 34:55.050
this advanced technology , DNA

34:55.050 --> 34:57.106
officially identified the remains as

34:57.106 --> 34:59.570
those of Ensign Eugene Manderberg on

34:59.570 --> 35:03.330
March 4th , 2025 , making him the very

35:03.330 --> 35:05.810
first US service member identified with

35:05.810 --> 35:07.989
this method and bringing long-awaited

35:07.989 --> 35:11.270
closure to his family . Eugene was

35:11.270 --> 35:13.437
brought home to Michigan and is buried

35:13.437 --> 35:15.790
just west from here at Bethel Memorial

35:15.790 --> 35:19.580
Park in Livonia . Eugene's story

35:20.040 --> 35:22.096
is a powerful testament that we will

35:22.096 --> 35:24.360
use every tool at our disposal for as

35:24.360 --> 35:26.416
long as it takes to bring our heroes

35:26.416 --> 35:29.439
home . From the sheer global scope of

35:29.439 --> 35:31.106
our mission into the profound

35:31.106 --> 35:33.320
eighty-year journey of Ensign Eugene

35:33.320 --> 35:35.800
Mannenberg back to his home here in

35:35.800 --> 35:38.060
Michigan , you can see the full scope

35:38.320 --> 35:40.790
of our commitment . The mission is a

35:40.790 --> 35:43.389
continuum . It honors the past . It

35:43.389 --> 35:45.500
works tirelessly in the present , and

35:45.500 --> 35:48.189
it builds for the future . The work is

35:48.189 --> 35:51.270
difficult . But our resolve is

35:51.270 --> 35:54.790
absolute . At DPAA , we'll continue to

35:54.790 --> 35:57.012
provide the fullest possible accounting

35:57.012 --> 35:59.610
of our missing heroes to you . The

35:59.610 --> 36:03.139
families and to our nation . Ladies and

36:03.139 --> 36:05.129
gentlemen , thank you again for

36:05.129 --> 36:07.139
spending your time with us . I look

36:07.139 --> 36:09.250
forward to connecting with as many of

36:09.250 --> 36:11.195
you as possible . Your involvement

36:11.195 --> 36:12.972
ensures that our heroes are not

36:12.972 --> 36:15.300
forgotten , and it reinvigorates our

36:15.300 --> 36:17.600
collective embodiment of the Way ethos .

36:17.939 --> 36:20.050
Again , it's an honor to be here . It

36:20.050 --> 36:22.399
is our honor to serve . Thank you all

36:22.459 --> 36:24.348
and have an amazing family member

36:24.348 --> 36:25.348
update .

36:38.110 --> 36:40.629
Thank you , Colonel Rankin . Next on

36:40.629 --> 36:42.407
the program is what we call our

36:42.407 --> 36:44.590
remembrance ceremony . It's an

36:44.590 --> 36:46.423
opportunity for you to introduce

36:46.423 --> 36:48.469
yourself and to honor your missing

36:48.469 --> 36:50.510
loved ones by saying their name and

36:50.510 --> 36:53.310
telling their story . Stories help keep

36:53.310 --> 36:55.260
memories alive and can be an

36:55.260 --> 36:57.800
encouragement to others , so we ask

36:57.800 --> 36:59.967
each of you if you're willing to share

36:59.967 --> 37:02.520
the story . We do ask that you keep

37:02.520 --> 37:04.742
your stories very brief because we have

37:04.742 --> 37:06.840
a large number of individuals in the

37:06.840 --> 37:08.951
audience and we want to give everyone

37:08.951 --> 37:11.560
an opportunity to say their loved one's

37:11.560 --> 37:14.080
name and just a brief story about them .

37:15.550 --> 37:17.717
Please don't ask , don't use this time

37:17.717 --> 37:19.606
to ask questions . We will have a

37:19.606 --> 37:21.828
question and answer period at the end .

37:21.828 --> 37:24.350
And um there are staff members in the

37:24.350 --> 37:26.310
room . If you guys can hold up the

37:26.310 --> 37:29.379
microphones . Uh , if you're interested ,

37:29.629 --> 37:32.149
please raise your hand and uh someone

37:32.149 --> 37:35.560
will bring a microphone to you and um

37:36.620 --> 37:38.842
We will get started . Do we have anyone

37:38.842 --> 37:41.830
who wants to start ? Yes , sir . Here

37:41.830 --> 37:42.830
in the middle .

37:47.530 --> 37:50.209
Hi , I'm Gunnery Sergeant Rick Gis . My ,

37:50.250 --> 37:52.610
uh , uncle was lost February 19th ,

37:52.719 --> 37:56.030
1945 , same day my dad stormed Iwo Jima ,

37:56.729 --> 37:59.729
and a B-24 bomber . They were from

37:59.770 --> 38:02.310
Gottlieb , Italy . They were bombing

38:02.310 --> 38:04.532
the ball bearing factories in Austria .

38:04.810 --> 38:07.229
500 planes . This was the only one hit

38:07.409 --> 38:10.399
by Flak . Uh , lost the Paul Gunner and

38:10.399 --> 38:13.000
3 engines . We're supposed to ditch in

38:13.000 --> 38:15.479
the Adriatic and decided to go down

38:15.479 --> 38:18.899
Yugoslavia and cut across the Adriatic .

38:19.830 --> 38:21.941
And that's the last we know of them .

38:21.941 --> 38:24.108
So we're trying to find those 10 men .

38:24.199 --> 38:26.229
Hopefully we will . Thank you all .

38:26.439 --> 38:27.439
Thank you , sir .

38:33.979 --> 38:36.035
Here , over on the right-hand side .

38:37.639 --> 38:39.806
Are you still on my camera right now ?

38:42.280 --> 38:44.639
My uncle Charles , my uncle Charles

38:44.639 --> 38:47.439
Nibert was missing in action from the

38:47.439 --> 38:49.383
Korean conflict . Can you hold the

38:49.383 --> 38:51.383
microphone closer to your ? Sorry ,

38:51.383 --> 38:54.199
thank you . My uncle Charles Nibert was

38:54.199 --> 38:55.977
missing in action in the Korean

38:55.977 --> 38:59.159
conflict . He went missing in December

38:59.159 --> 39:03.080
of 1950 , I believe . Thank

39:03.080 --> 39:04.080
you .

39:10.709 --> 39:14.260
Hello , I'm here for um my uncle , um ,

39:14.270 --> 39:16.989
Myron Lee Yo . He was shot down the day

39:16.989 --> 39:20.550
after Christmas 1944 in Belhammer ,

39:20.669 --> 39:23.709
Germany , and they have never found his

39:23.709 --> 39:26.860
remains . Thank you .

39:41.820 --> 39:44.850
Go ahead , sir . Um , I'm the grandson

39:44.850 --> 39:48.189
of John Joseph I . He was in Corridor

39:48.570 --> 39:51.810
and was one of the many , uh , Marines

39:51.810 --> 39:53.866
in the 4th Division . 4th Division ,

39:54.090 --> 39:57.939
was the 4th unit . Anyway ,

39:58.020 --> 40:00.187
he's one of the 4th Marines and he was

40:00.187 --> 40:02.298
one of the ones , uh , many ones that

40:02.298 --> 40:04.131
were surrendered and ended up in

40:04.131 --> 40:07.300
CavanaTuan and other ones and was there

40:07.300 --> 40:09.939
to the very end until he was one of the

40:09.939 --> 40:13.870
1,619 . Who were transported

40:13.870 --> 40:17.379
on the hail ships . He survived the

40:17.379 --> 40:19.490
first two , I think it's the Roku and

40:19.490 --> 40:22.699
the and the uh Nora , and he made it to

40:22.699 --> 40:26.260
the Brazil and uh died on his way to

40:26.260 --> 40:29.750
Japan with But many others . I believe

40:29.750 --> 40:31.861
the number was only 400 actually made

40:31.861 --> 40:34.083
it to Japan . Most of you probably know

40:34.083 --> 40:36.830
those numbers . And uh he had left

40:36.830 --> 40:40.770
behind . My uncle , who was 1

40:40.770 --> 40:44.179
1/2 . My mother , who was like

40:44.179 --> 40:47.959
12 or 8 , and . Uh , the

40:47.959 --> 40:50.181
older son who was like 12 when this all

40:50.181 --> 40:52.292
happened , he had been a prisoner and

40:52.292 --> 40:54.459
gone for over 5 years before he passed

40:54.459 --> 40:57.040
away . And he was thrown overboard . So

40:57.540 --> 40:59.873
we've done the DNA , but we're not sure .

41:00.649 --> 41:02.871
If that will ever matter , but anyway ,

41:03.209 --> 41:04.209
thank you , sir .

41:08.909 --> 41:11.389
My name is Molly Ross McMillan . I am

41:11.389 --> 41:14.489
the sister of James Ross . He

41:15.340 --> 41:18.360
Joined the service at age 15 and became

41:18.360 --> 41:21.389
MIA at age 18 . So I have no other

41:21.389 --> 41:24.560
information . OK . What service , ma'am ?

41:28.110 --> 41:29.110
Thank you .

41:36.020 --> 41:38.820
My name is Gail Parker and I'm here for

41:38.820 --> 41:42.300
my great uncle August Car . He was one

41:42.300 --> 41:45.100
of 6 brothers that , um , he was my

41:45.100 --> 41:48.020
grandfather's brother . 6 brothers

41:48.020 --> 41:51.439
joined at the same time , and it says ,

41:51.500 --> 41:54.169
um , they were from Northville and it

41:54.169 --> 41:56.620
was a record service family and he went

41:56.620 --> 42:00.020
down in New Guinea . He was in the army

42:00.020 --> 42:02.669
or the Air Force . Thank you , ma'am .

42:07.449 --> 42:10.929
My name is Elaine Lee . And we're here

42:10.929 --> 42:14.810
for our uncle Sergeant Joseph

42:14.810 --> 42:18.189
Cooper who was captured in North

42:18.489 --> 42:21.810
Korea and marched to the border near

42:21.810 --> 42:25.409
China and in a uh captured at a POW

42:25.409 --> 42:28.610
camp and his remains have not been

42:28.610 --> 42:31.750
found as of yet . Thank you , ma'am .

42:33.770 --> 42:35.826
Can we get a microphone over here in

42:35.826 --> 42:37.214
the far corner , Brian ?

42:40.580 --> 42:42.691
While he's getting over there , we'll

42:42.691 --> 42:46.050
take this one over here . Hi , I'm here

42:46.050 --> 42:48.050
to represent my uncle , John C .

42:48.250 --> 42:50.889
Westfall Jr . I grew up on a farm in

42:50.889 --> 42:53.570
Pickle , Ohio , joined in 1943 , the

42:53.570 --> 42:56.389
Marines . That he was a machine gunner ,

42:56.800 --> 43:00.780
died uh in the Battle of Tawa . On the

43:00.780 --> 43:03.659
first day . Uh , approaching the beach .

43:04.989 --> 43:07.156
And for anybody who hasn't been to the

43:07.156 --> 43:09.322
Punch Bowl in Hawaii , if you ever get

43:09.322 --> 43:11.267
there , it's a very sacred place .

43:12.610 --> 43:13.610
Thank you , sir .

43:19.239 --> 43:23.110
I am the niece of and this

43:23.110 --> 43:27.090
is my father's beloved brother Elmer

43:27.090 --> 43:30.770
Walter Smith . My father passed away in

43:30.770 --> 43:34.629
2024 . Um , Elmer

43:35.090 --> 43:38.050
Walter was killed on October 20th ,

43:38.159 --> 43:42.010
1944 in the Philippines . Thank you .

43:42.340 --> 43:43.340
Thank you .

43:48.320 --> 43:50.919
My dad Ebert Ostrom was shot down in

43:50.919 --> 43:53.709
the Sea of Japan in 1945 and uh .

43:56.610 --> 43:59.780
It's April 15th , 1945 . Thank you .

44:00.139 --> 44:01.139
Thank you , sir .

44:09.540 --> 44:13.219
Hello , I'm here for my uncle John

44:13.219 --> 44:16.540
Kenneth Albes . He was a seaman first

44:16.540 --> 44:20.149
class on the USS Lindsay .

44:20.489 --> 44:24.080
Um , he died on April 12 , 1945 .

44:25.030 --> 44:28.530
The ship was Attacked by 2

44:28.530 --> 44:32.250
kamikaze planes and his gunnery mount .

44:33.149 --> 44:36.750
The 2nd kamikaze hit that and so we're

44:36.830 --> 44:40.020
here to . Honor him and just see if we

44:40.020 --> 44:42.187
can find out anything to bring closure

44:42.187 --> 44:44.840
to our family . Thank you . Thank you .

44:49.479 --> 44:51.959
And she said , this is not karaoke ,

44:52.080 --> 44:56.060
sorry . Uh , my name is Robert Engle

44:56.060 --> 44:59.260
and I'm the cousin of , uh , of

44:59.949 --> 45:02.116
Good soldier like we had a lot in here

45:02.116 --> 45:04.227
that uh some of us didn't even get to

45:04.227 --> 45:07.590
know , but my cousin Earl Sigman uh was

45:07.590 --> 45:11.060
in Korea and he got captured

45:11.479 --> 45:13.850
and in his capture , he was wounded .

45:14.699 --> 45:17.379
And then they put him on what they call

45:17.379 --> 45:20.560
a death march up in North Korea ,

45:21.100 --> 45:23.479
I believe it was called the Tiger March ,

45:23.899 --> 45:26.570
and he was struggling because he was

45:26.570 --> 45:30.159
wounded and through that they

45:30.580 --> 45:32.939
just brutally executed him , just shot

45:32.939 --> 45:34.979
him in the head because he couldn't

45:34.979 --> 45:38.459
keep up . And uh I'd like to

45:38.780 --> 45:41.459
just say thanks to all the of the

45:41.459 --> 45:44.139
soldiers and everyone here today . I'm

45:44.139 --> 45:47.500
a veteran myself . God bless you and I

45:47.500 --> 45:51.500
am so much more optimistic now after

45:51.500 --> 45:53.939
I've been here today and uh see

45:53.939 --> 45:56.370
everything you guys are doing and uh

45:56.379 --> 45:58.969
thank you . God bless you all . Thank

45:58.969 --> 45:59.649
you , sir .

46:03.419 --> 46:06.800
Yes , please . My , I'm the

46:06.800 --> 46:09.719
grandson , great grandson of Lieutenant

46:09.719 --> 46:13.100
Colonel Bruce Johnson in the US Army ,

46:13.439 --> 46:15.800
born in Harvard Beach , Michigan . He

46:15.800 --> 46:19.560
was missing in the Vietnam War on June

46:19.560 --> 46:21.780
10th , 1965 .

46:23.199 --> 46:26.580
And in a Huey crash .

46:27.870 --> 46:28.870
Thank you .

46:33.800 --> 46:36.520
Hi , my name is Janice Dewey . I've got

46:36.520 --> 46:38.360
my sister Beth here . We are the

46:38.360 --> 46:41.379
granddaughters of Major Leland K Dewey .

46:41.719 --> 46:43.608
Um , was originally born in Cedar

46:43.608 --> 46:46.639
Springs , Michigan , uh , lived in

46:46.639 --> 46:48.917
Jackson , Michigan with my grandmother .

46:49.040 --> 46:51.879
Um , they were high , sorry , college

46:51.879 --> 46:54.489
sweethearts from Michigan State . Um ,

46:54.570 --> 46:56.889
they met . He graduated in 1925 from

46:56.889 --> 47:00.489
Michigan State . Um , he , uh , went to

47:00.489 --> 47:03.830
the Philippines in , uh , probably

47:04.199 --> 47:08.010
mid to , uh , the fall of 1941 .

47:08.449 --> 47:10.570
He was a member of the Coastal

47:10.570 --> 47:12.737
Artillery . He was in charge of one of

47:12.737 --> 47:15.080
the big guns on Manila Harbor . Um , I

47:15.080 --> 47:18.290
actually have with me his diary that ,

47:18.330 --> 47:21.250
uh , he kept in the camps . Um , he

47:21.250 --> 47:25.169
died on July 24th , 1942 of dysentery

47:25.169 --> 47:27.649
and malnutrition , but his buddies kept

47:27.649 --> 47:30.250
this away from the Japanese . I also

47:30.250 --> 47:32.417
have his Bible , which does have the ,

47:32.417 --> 47:34.929
uh , Japanese stamp in it . The diary

47:34.929 --> 47:37.610
does not . Um , his bud , like I said ,

47:37.689 --> 47:39.969
his buddies kept it away and kept it

47:39.969 --> 47:42.025
safe and was able to return it to my

47:42.025 --> 47:44.159
grandmother . I have with me also the

47:44.159 --> 47:46.326
letters and everything telling what he

47:46.326 --> 47:48.270
did while he was there and all the

47:48.270 --> 47:50.492
different things , but he left behind a

47:50.492 --> 47:53.010
4 year old . He was 5 when my , my dad

47:53.010 --> 47:55.121
was 5 when his father died . They did

47:55.121 --> 47:57.288
not know until 1945 that he had died .

47:58.280 --> 48:00.391
They had no record of them for a long

48:00.391 --> 48:02.502
time , even on the Red Cross rolls to

48:02.502 --> 48:04.919
my grandparents , my great grandparents ,

48:05.360 --> 48:07.760
they , they were just left in limbo for

48:07.760 --> 48:09.760
a long time . We really wanna bring

48:09.760 --> 48:11.871
them home and hopefully we can soon .

48:11.871 --> 48:13.204
Thank you , thank you .

48:22.100 --> 48:24.267
I'm here for my wife's great uncle who

48:24.267 --> 48:26.433
was a tailgunner on the B-17 Donna May

48:26.433 --> 48:28.659
2 . They got out of formation over

48:28.659 --> 48:31.620
Berlin and was hit by a 1000 pound bomb

48:31.620 --> 48:34.439
and crashed . The entire crew was

48:34.439 --> 48:36.949
killed . That's . Thank you , sir .

48:41.659 --> 48:43.548
Hi , I'm here for my uncle , Oren

48:43.548 --> 48:45.659
Gillet . He was killed December 8th ,

48:45.739 --> 48:49.600
1941 in the Philippines and uh his uh

48:49.600 --> 48:51.656
oldest brother would die in December

48:51.656 --> 48:54.949
28th , 1944 . Thank you , sir .

48:56.489 --> 48:58.711
So you have the microphone over there .

49:06.919 --> 49:08.899
I'm here to honor my uncle .

49:10.649 --> 49:14.530
Sergeant George J . Scott from Dwight ,

49:14.649 --> 49:18.459
Illinois . He was killed , we

49:18.459 --> 49:20.570
believe , but anyways , the last time

49:20.570 --> 49:22.737
they saw him , he was very injured and

49:22.737 --> 49:26.179
he was taken by the Germans . In Italy .

49:27.500 --> 49:31.189
And uh So , I'd

49:31.189 --> 49:34.080
just like to say thank you for

49:34.080 --> 49:37.280
searching for him . He's not been found

49:37.280 --> 49:40.399
yet . But Since

49:41.649 --> 49:45.439
1943 . Um ,

49:45.639 --> 49:47.790
so thank you . Thank you .

49:53.469 --> 49:55.989
Hi , my name is Terry Hunt . I am , uh ,

49:56.510 --> 49:58.439
here for my father who was Master

49:58.439 --> 50:00.550
Sergeant Robert William Hunt who went

50:00.550 --> 50:04.429
missing February 28th of 1978 . I

50:04.429 --> 50:07.989
was almost 3 . My sister was a month

50:07.989 --> 50:11.429
old . Um , he was , um ,

50:11.790 --> 50:15.350
in the army . He was an infantry . His

50:15.350 --> 50:18.429
tank and 9 others got

50:18.429 --> 50:21.750
ambushed . His got hit and there was a

50:21.750 --> 50:24.780
lot of casualties . When they came back ,

50:24.800 --> 50:27.360
um , because they had left , but when

50:27.360 --> 50:29.840
they came back they couldn't find him

50:30.239 --> 50:33.840
and so they had heard that he had

50:33.840 --> 50:37.040
gotten taken to one prison and .

50:37.550 --> 50:39.606
Um , they had gotten , he had gotten

50:39.606 --> 50:41.661
him and another gentleman had gotten

50:41.661 --> 50:43.828
taken to another prison . So when they

50:43.828 --> 50:45.939
say that they will continue looking ,

50:45.939 --> 50:48.149
I've gotten a lot of , since I've , my

50:48.149 --> 50:50.510
mom and my sister and I have come to

50:50.510 --> 50:53.260
these meetings , we hear a lot of

50:53.260 --> 50:56.254
information they . To keep you uplifted

50:56.625 --> 50:58.847
and give you a lot of information about

50:58.847 --> 51:01.965
your people who are prisoners of war or

51:02.425 --> 51:05.185
or missing . So I do get a lot of

51:05.185 --> 51:07.407
information from people , not even just

51:07.407 --> 51:09.574
coming to these meetings , but I still

51:09.574 --> 51:11.985
get information from um the people that

51:11.985 --> 51:15.870
are on these um . These different um

51:16.250 --> 51:18.361
um I'm gonna I'm trying to think of I

51:18.361 --> 51:20.472
can't think of the word I'm trying to

51:20.472 --> 51:22.694
think of now but these leaders that are

51:22.694 --> 51:25.620
on um the leadership . Councilman

51:25.620 --> 51:27.379
things that they will send you

51:27.379 --> 51:29.212
information . They will give you

51:29.212 --> 51:31.379
information about your people that are

51:31.379 --> 51:33.546
missing , not just at these meetings ,

51:33.546 --> 51:33.459
but they still give you information if

51:33.459 --> 51:35.681
you are needed . If you call them or if

51:35.681 --> 51:37.570
you write them , they do give you

51:37.570 --> 51:40.580
information , not all come . So I'd

51:40.580 --> 51:43.750
still , well , if I'm with you guys or

51:43.750 --> 51:46.209
if you wanna know , reach out to them

51:46.709 --> 51:48.931
because they will give you , they don't

51:48.931 --> 51:50.987
just have you come to these meetings

51:50.987 --> 51:53.153
and get information . Call them if you

51:53.153 --> 51:55.760
need something , OK ? Thank you . What

51:55.760 --> 51:58.760
conflict did you say , ma'am ? What

51:58.760 --> 52:02.139
conflict Vietnam , thank you .

52:03.080 --> 52:04.691
Let's go over to this side .

52:09.959 --> 52:12.015
My name is Sam Atkins , and I'm here

52:12.520 --> 52:16.000
for my uncle Prentice Seaman Golden

52:16.000 --> 52:19.739
Atkins . I wanna thank the DBAA because

52:20.350 --> 52:22.517
growing up I never knew anything about

52:22.517 --> 52:24.850
my uncle except that he was lost at sea .

52:24.850 --> 52:27.072
And now I found out because of the work

52:27.479 --> 52:30.129
you folks have done . That he was on

52:30.129 --> 52:32.351
the USS Pollux . I didn't know that and

52:32.351 --> 52:33.962
I went down off the coast of

52:33.962 --> 52:35.962
Newfoundland . They never found the

52:35.962 --> 52:39.010
body and uh we were asked to give some

52:39.459 --> 52:42.350
DNA and , and uh There's

52:43.199 --> 52:45.255
searching right now , maybe they can

52:45.255 --> 52:47.530
make a match , but without your

52:47.530 --> 52:49.752
organization , I wouldn't know anything

52:49.752 --> 52:51.808
about that . So I really wanna thank

52:51.808 --> 52:54.141
you folks and all the work you're doing .

52:54.141 --> 52:55.141
Thank you , sir .

52:59.560 --> 53:02.780
My uncle Bud , um , was flying with

53:02.919 --> 53:05.040
Ensign Mandeberg , you saw on the

53:05.040 --> 53:07.139
screen . He was one of the 3 other

53:07.239 --> 53:09.350
people who were shot down technically

53:09.350 --> 53:11.239
after the war was declared over ,

53:11.600 --> 53:14.760
returning . And we haven't found them ,

53:14.810 --> 53:16.754
but this gives me some more hope .

53:17.909 --> 53:18.909
Thank you , sir .

53:21.800 --> 53:23.800
You want to , you want to come over

53:23.800 --> 53:23.699
here where the ,

53:36.520 --> 53:40.520
Uh , good morning . Um , we are here

53:40.520 --> 53:43.399
representing , uh , Seaman First Class

53:43.639 --> 53:47.429
Robert Ross Agnew . He was

53:47.479 --> 53:50.000
on the Arizona . And one of the

53:50.000 --> 53:53.969
1,177 . Unaccounted for .

53:54.820 --> 53:56.889
My wife Marianne and son Ross are

53:56.889 --> 54:00.459
upstairs right now with the World War

54:00.459 --> 54:04.189
II Arizona team discussing it . Um ,

54:04.459 --> 54:07.219
we are here really because of Operation

54:07.219 --> 54:09.620
85 . They were able to get in touch

54:09.620 --> 54:12.879
with us and because of the 85 ,

54:13.379 --> 54:16.709
um . Bodies believed that they have in

54:16.719 --> 54:19.949
in the cemeteries of the unknown ,

54:20.449 --> 54:24.310
um . We hope that uh my wife's

54:24.310 --> 54:27.610
DNA will help identify and and

54:27.610 --> 54:31.280
possibly bring uh Robert home . Uh ,

54:31.290 --> 54:35.120
he was born in Hopston , Illinois , and

54:35.409 --> 54:38.969
they did name the VFW in Hopston after

54:38.969 --> 54:41.929
him because he was the first one to die

54:42.209 --> 54:45.050
in our county . Thank you , sir .

54:54.689 --> 54:57.129
My name is Earlene McGonagall , and I'm

54:57.129 --> 54:59.129
here with two of my sisters , Paula

54:59.129 --> 55:02.889
Brem and Jean Fiore . We are nieces of

55:02.889 --> 55:06.010
Private Hamilton Earl Barnhouse , born

55:06.010 --> 55:09.840
in Bridgeport , Ohio in 1922 .

55:10.050 --> 55:13.889
He was killed at Ottawa and in

55:13.889 --> 55:17.560
1943 , shortly after his 20th birthday ,

55:17.649 --> 55:20.489
he served a very short time . This is

55:20.489 --> 55:23.469
our first time here . And again , I

55:23.469 --> 55:26.860
would just like to share how much we

55:26.860 --> 55:29.820
appreciate the ongoing efforts of

55:29.820 --> 55:31.987
everyone involved to do the job you're

55:31.987 --> 55:35.139
doing today . And I too served a short

55:35.139 --> 55:37.739
time in the 350 Viva Hospital in Canton ,

55:37.850 --> 55:40.340
Ohio as an army nurse , and I'm so

55:40.340 --> 55:42.580
thankful for that opportunity . It gave

55:42.580 --> 55:44.691
me a sense of patriotism I would have

55:44.691 --> 55:46.100
never had . Thank you .

55:59.540 --> 56:03.379
Uh , we are here to represent our

56:03.379 --> 56:05.840
uncle , my cousin , and I , um ,

56:06.300 --> 56:09.159
Frederick John Carlson , corporal ,

56:10.100 --> 56:13.520
who died at Guadalcanal in

56:13.520 --> 56:16.620
1942 , November 1st , 1942 .

56:18.959 --> 56:21.520
The Marines , sorry . Thank you .

56:26.909 --> 56:29.229
Hi , I'm Kirk , uh Rio , and I'm here

56:29.229 --> 56:31.840
in honor of my great uncle , uh ,

56:32.189 --> 56:34.949
William Ste , uh , killed in World War

56:34.949 --> 56:38.290
2 in a mission , uh , in North Africa .

56:38.830 --> 56:42.030
Um , he was the , he was my , my

56:42.030 --> 56:44.252
grandmother's youngest brother , one of

56:44.252 --> 56:46.830
4 that , uh , served in World War Two ,

56:47.189 --> 56:49.699
the only one not to come back . Um ,

56:49.909 --> 56:51.965
every time my grandmother would talk

56:51.965 --> 56:54.187
about it , she said I remember dropping

56:54.187 --> 56:57.110
him off at the . Railroad station in

56:57.110 --> 56:59.459
Houghton , Michigan in the UP , um ,

56:59.469 --> 57:01.580
and it just , it was like just like a

57:01.580 --> 57:03.691
funeral and then it was , and we're ,

57:03.870 --> 57:05.981
we're just hopeful that he , he , his

57:05.981 --> 57:08.510
name is memorialized in , uh , a grave

57:08.510 --> 57:12.229
in Tunisia and um hoping we'll , um ,

57:12.739 --> 57:15.110
maybe have his remains will be found

57:15.110 --> 57:17.350
there . Thank you so thank you , thank

57:17.350 --> 57:20.610
you . Bye .

57:23.000 --> 57:25.056
Can we get a microphone over here in

57:25.056 --> 57:27.659
the center part of the room ? Andy ,

57:28.639 --> 57:30.820
thank you . Go ahead , Ryan .

57:34.820 --> 57:36.876
Hi , my name is Henry Guzman . I'm a

57:36.876 --> 57:39.060
Vietnam veteran and I'm here with my

57:39.060 --> 57:41.449
wife representing , uh , Porfilio

57:41.449 --> 57:43.820
Gonzalez Renta . He fought with the

57:43.820 --> 57:45.820
sixty-fifth Infantry and all Puerto

57:45.820 --> 57:48.290
Rican unit out of Puerto Rico . Uh ,

57:48.379 --> 57:50.546
they just received several years ago ,

57:50.546 --> 57:52.546
the unit received the Congressional

57:52.546 --> 57:54.969
Gold Medal for their exploits in Korea ,

57:55.260 --> 57:58.320
and I'm representing him . Thank you ,

57:58.439 --> 57:58.830
sir .

58:02.800 --> 58:05.078
It's really emotional to be here today .

58:05.889 --> 58:08.330
Hopefully I can get through it . Um , I

58:08.330 --> 58:10.274
would first and foremost , I wanna

58:10.274 --> 58:12.274
thank all of our men and women that

58:12.274 --> 58:14.330
serve our country . Thank you for my

58:14.330 --> 58:17.709
freedom . This is Oscar Mayo Wallens

58:17.709 --> 58:20.899
out of Hayside , Virginia . Oscar was a

58:20.899 --> 58:24.060
sergeant in the army . He served in the

58:24.060 --> 58:26.393
Battle of the Bulge during World War II .

58:26.393 --> 58:28.860
He was with Company A 629 tank

58:28.860 --> 58:32.219
destroyer Battalion . Um , he saved

58:32.219 --> 58:34.330
three of our servicemen , got back in

58:34.330 --> 58:36.219
his tank , and stopped one of the

58:36.219 --> 58:38.739
German tanks , and his was blown up .

58:39.520 --> 58:42.510
And a gentleman in Belgium later found

58:42.510 --> 58:45.010
his dog tag and mailed it back to us ,

58:45.090 --> 58:47.389
and then 10 TV out of Columbus , Ohio

58:47.389 --> 58:49.500
came and interviewed our family , and

58:49.500 --> 58:51.833
we're still wanting to bring Oscar home .

58:53.739 --> 58:54.739
Thank you .

59:01.800 --> 59:04.078
We get a microphone here in the middle .

59:04.520 --> 59:07.080
Go ahead , Brian over there . Andy will

59:07.080 --> 59:08.080
come up here .

59:12.560 --> 59:13.727
Yeah , you can start

59:16.500 --> 59:18.722
My name's Casey McLegan . I'm here with

59:18.722 --> 59:20.778
my sister . Um , we're both Cold War

59:20.778 --> 59:23.889
veterans . We're here in honor of our

59:23.889 --> 59:27.449
great uncle Elmer Beck . His plane went

59:27.449 --> 59:30.330
down with actually these families here ,

59:30.610 --> 59:33.929
um , relative in Papua New Guinea on

59:33.929 --> 59:37.610
January 21st , 1944 . We're just here

59:37.610 --> 59:39.840
to honor my grandmother's , uh , great

59:39.840 --> 59:42.062
grandmother's wishes to bring them home

59:42.129 --> 59:45.570
to back to her , so . Thank you .

59:50.949 --> 59:52.671
I'm here to honor my brother .

59:56.270 --> 59:59.949
Who died in North Korea . But I was

59:59.949 --> 01:00:03.820
here in 2017 . And

01:00:03.820 --> 01:00:07.689
I am very encouraged today . At the new

01:00:08.030 --> 01:00:11.229
findings that you're able to do , so

01:00:11.229 --> 01:00:13.949
I'm encouraging everyone here to hang

01:00:13.949 --> 01:00:16.709
in there because from the evidence I

01:00:16.709 --> 01:00:19.669
saw on these screens they are doing so

01:00:19.669 --> 01:00:23.110
much more with DNA . My brother's name

01:00:23.110 --> 01:00:26.969
was Eddie Carlson . He died in

01:00:26.969 --> 01:00:30.739
North Korea . By the Japanese or the

01:00:30.739 --> 01:00:33.459
Chinese , I'm sorry , and his body has

01:00:33.459 --> 01:00:36.689
never been recovered . He was last seen

01:00:36.820 --> 01:00:39.419
manning a machine gun that was given up

01:00:39.419 --> 01:00:42.669
by someone else . So he did his duty to

01:00:42.669 --> 01:00:45.750
his country . He was declared missing

01:00:45.750 --> 01:00:49.169
in action in 1950 , declared dead

01:00:49.669 --> 01:00:53.350
in 1951 or 2 . It's hard to

01:00:53.350 --> 01:00:56.810
remember . But I just think it's

01:00:56.810 --> 01:00:59.610
wonderful that you have more to do with

01:00:59.610 --> 01:01:02.510
DNA . Thank you so much . Thank you .

01:01:07.659 --> 01:01:09.826
Hello , my name is Kim . I'm here with

01:01:09.826 --> 01:01:11.826
my sisters . We're representing our

01:01:11.826 --> 01:01:14.600
grandfather , Private John Fisher , um ,

01:01:14.649 --> 01:01:17.540
of the US Army . He was killed on

01:01:17.540 --> 01:01:21.040
October 20th , 1944 storming the beach

01:01:21.040 --> 01:01:23.620
in the Philippines . Um , he left

01:01:23.620 --> 01:01:26.100
behind our mother who was 2 months old

01:01:26.100 --> 01:01:27.933
at the time who he never had the

01:01:27.933 --> 01:01:29.933
opportunity to meet , so we're just

01:01:29.933 --> 01:01:32.260
hoping that we can bring him home and

01:01:32.260 --> 01:01:34.489
back to her . Thank you .

01:01:39.050 --> 01:01:41.161
It's so heart wrenching to hear these

01:01:41.161 --> 01:01:43.830
stories . My name is Canoe Nihoffer .

01:01:44.600 --> 01:01:48.000
And uh I'm the oldest son of Captain

01:01:48.000 --> 01:01:50.199
John Daniel Nadelhoffer , known by my

01:01:50.199 --> 01:01:52.600
recently deceased mother as Captain

01:01:52.600 --> 01:01:55.770
Jack . Captain Jack was on a flying

01:01:55.770 --> 01:01:59.199
mission in January of 1952 , combat

01:01:59.199 --> 01:02:02.419
mission in North Korea . Attempting to

01:02:02.419 --> 01:02:05.219
fly back to his aircraft carrier in the

01:02:05.219 --> 01:02:07.860
Yellow Sea when his plane was hit by

01:02:07.860 --> 01:02:10.870
small arms fire . The cockpit was

01:02:10.870 --> 01:02:13.760
leaking oil . And the plane started to

01:02:13.760 --> 01:02:16.830
sputter and his wingmate . Another

01:02:17.409 --> 01:02:20.729
Corsair pilot . Told him he could land

01:02:20.729 --> 01:02:23.510
on a frozen beach just off the coast of

01:02:24.010 --> 01:02:26.149
North Korea , and my dad radioed back

01:02:26.149 --> 01:02:29.040
and said , I can't see out the cockpit .

01:02:29.090 --> 01:02:32.149
It's full of oil . I got to bail . He ,

01:02:32.250 --> 01:02:35.320
he flew up to 2000 ft so he could bail

01:02:35.320 --> 01:02:38.169
and , and , uh , bail and his parachute

01:02:38.169 --> 01:02:41.169
never opened . His wingmates saw him

01:02:41.169 --> 01:02:43.530
stream . That means the parachute was

01:02:43.530 --> 01:02:45.929
streaming behind unopened for 2000 ft .

01:02:46.010 --> 01:02:49.169
He hit the ground . His wingmate called

01:02:49.169 --> 01:02:51.391
in a helicopter crew that buried him on

01:02:51.391 --> 01:02:54.370
site . He's still there . We've been

01:02:54.370 --> 01:02:56.709
trying to get him back for 72 years .

01:02:57.209 --> 01:02:59.376
We hope to get the remains back before

01:02:59.376 --> 01:03:01.431
my mom died , which was September of

01:03:01.431 --> 01:03:05.320
last year . Um , it's one of

01:03:05.320 --> 01:03:07.098
many , many stories , and we're

01:03:07.098 --> 01:03:09.760
fortunate to know the details , but I

01:03:09.760 --> 01:03:11.982
empathize with everyone here who's lost

01:03:11.982 --> 01:03:14.449
a loved one . I want to say one other

01:03:14.449 --> 01:03:17.010
thing , um , I'm a board member of the

01:03:17.010 --> 01:03:19.520
Coalition of Families of the Korean and

01:03:19.520 --> 01:03:22.850
Cold War POW MIAs . Um , we

01:03:22.850 --> 01:03:26.649
lobby for the return of Cold War and

01:03:26.649 --> 01:03:30.000
Korean War remains , um . We're

01:03:30.229 --> 01:03:32.062
currently promoting the House of

01:03:32.062 --> 01:03:34.389
Representatives Bill number 1841 ,

01:03:34.479 --> 01:03:36.479
Peace on the Korean Peninsula . You

01:03:36.479 --> 01:03:38.535
know , the Korean War is the longest

01:03:38.535 --> 01:03:40.646
war we've ever had because it's still

01:03:40.646 --> 01:03:42.368
not resolved . We're living in

01:03:42.368 --> 01:03:45.689
armistice land . Because the war is not

01:03:45.689 --> 01:03:47.633
resolved and we don't have a peace

01:03:47.633 --> 01:03:49.800
treaty , it makes it very difficult to

01:03:49.800 --> 01:03:53.100
negotiate and get remains back . So

01:03:53.500 --> 01:03:56.500
HR 1841 , which is a bipartisan

01:03:56.500 --> 01:04:00.300
endorsed by 49 Congress congressional

01:04:00.300 --> 01:04:02.659
reps , is the piece on the Korean

01:04:02.659 --> 01:04:04.780
Peninsula Act . Among other things ,

01:04:05.040 --> 01:04:07.262
would it would call for a formal end to

01:04:07.262 --> 01:04:09.860
the Korean War and would remove

01:04:09.860 --> 01:04:12.110
restrictions on travel to North Korea

01:04:12.580 --> 01:04:14.889
for remains recoveries . Please call

01:04:14.889 --> 01:04:18.239
your congressperson and tell them to

01:04:18.379 --> 01:04:21.649
endorse and bring . Bill 1841 up for a

01:04:21.649 --> 01:04:24.110
vote . Also , if you'd like to join the ,

01:04:24.209 --> 01:04:26.431
and I , I know there are members here ,

01:04:26.431 --> 01:04:28.598
if you'd like to join the Coalition of

01:04:28.598 --> 01:04:30.653
Families for the Korean War and Cold

01:04:30.653 --> 01:04:32.765
War veterans , just talk to me . I'll

01:04:32.765 --> 01:04:34.987
be around . My name's Newt , or you can

01:04:34.987 --> 01:04:36.987
call me Knut by my Norwegian name .

01:04:36.987 --> 01:04:38.699
Thank you . Thank you , sir .

01:04:44.340 --> 01:04:46.590
Hi , my name is Jeannie Edwards . Um ,

01:04:46.620 --> 01:04:49.620
this is my uncle Charles Wade Shaw ,

01:04:49.969 --> 01:04:53.620
and he was in the Korean War , and he

01:04:53.620 --> 01:04:55.731
was , um , declared missing in action

01:04:55.731 --> 01:04:59.280
in December of 1950 from the chosen

01:04:59.280 --> 01:05:01.820
reservoir . We've been coming to these

01:05:01.820 --> 01:05:04.300
meetings for a long time . My , my

01:05:04.300 --> 01:05:06.467
brothers and myself and my husband and

01:05:06.467 --> 01:05:08.959
family have been coming to in hopes to .

01:05:09.620 --> 01:05:11.360
Um , find his remains .

01:05:13.510 --> 01:05:15.030
That's it . Thank you .

01:05:20.489 --> 01:05:24.189
Thank you . My name is Mary Alice

01:05:24.189 --> 01:05:27.500
Ricky Lofer . My

01:05:28.810 --> 01:05:32.550
Today by my son Eric . My

01:05:32.570 --> 01:05:36.530
father , Alfred Ricky . was

01:05:36.530 --> 01:05:40.060
killed in action . August 24th ,

01:05:40.179 --> 01:05:43.219
1944 in France .

01:05:44.419 --> 01:05:47.100
I'm still that little 5 year old girl

01:05:47.100 --> 01:05:51.100
waiting for daddy to come home . Um ,

01:05:51.439 --> 01:05:54.919
I appreciate all that you've done

01:05:54.919 --> 01:05:58.889
bringing . Bringing those lost uh

01:05:59.219 --> 01:06:02.739
military people home . Keep up the good

01:06:02.739 --> 01:06:06.260
work . Maybe someday my

01:06:06.260 --> 01:06:09.100
sons will greet him .

01:06:09.840 --> 01:06:13.489
And Give him the

01:06:13.489 --> 01:06:16.090
burial that he needs . Thank you .

01:06:16.469 --> 01:06:17.469
Thank you .

01:06:21.810 --> 01:06:23.643
My name is Stacy Ford . I'm here

01:06:23.643 --> 01:06:25.699
representing my grandmother's little

01:06:25.699 --> 01:06:28.330
brother , JD Jernigan , um first class .

01:06:28.489 --> 01:06:31.409
Um he passed away April 22 , '51 in

01:06:31.409 --> 01:06:34.969
Korea . I stumbled upon him . We never

01:06:34.969 --> 01:06:37.080
spoke of him . My grandmamother never

01:06:37.080 --> 01:06:39.610
spoke of him . Um , I found him doing

01:06:39.610 --> 01:06:43.489
genealogy and she died brokenhearted .

01:06:43.969 --> 01:06:45.969
I wish she had known what was being

01:06:45.969 --> 01:06:47.969
done because I think it would have

01:06:47.969 --> 01:06:50.360
meant a lot to her , so it is , um ,

01:06:50.370 --> 01:06:52.610
very emotional being here for her , but

01:06:52.610 --> 01:06:54.721
thank you for everything that's being

01:06:54.721 --> 01:06:55.777
done . Thank you .

01:07:01.949 --> 01:07:04.469
Hello , my name is Kay Martinez . I'm

01:07:04.469 --> 01:07:07.030
here with my daughter Kathleen . We're

01:07:07.030 --> 01:07:09.350
here to remember my brother , Chief

01:07:09.350 --> 01:07:13.270
Master Sergeant Dean Duval . He was

01:07:13.270 --> 01:07:17.219
in the Air Force . He was a gunner on

01:07:17.219 --> 01:07:20.030
an AC-47 . You might know it better as

01:07:20.030 --> 01:07:23.790
a Spooky . They were shot down on

01:07:24.189 --> 01:07:27.899
March 13 , 1966 over

01:07:27.899 --> 01:07:30.389
Laos . We did not know that they were

01:07:30.389 --> 01:07:34.189
in Laos until 2001 , and

01:07:34.189 --> 01:07:36.189
that's when we found out they had a

01:07:36.189 --> 01:07:38.620
crash site . They were able to go in

01:07:38.620 --> 01:07:41.750
and excavate the crash site . Um ,

01:07:42.179 --> 01:07:45.719
they found . Enough

01:07:45.719 --> 01:07:47.850
dental material that they could

01:07:47.850 --> 01:07:50.889
identify one of the crew members .

01:07:51.479 --> 01:07:54.280
There was no indication at all that my

01:07:54.280 --> 01:07:56.639
brother was on the plane . We're still

01:07:56.639 --> 01:07:59.139
waiting . Hopefully they can get back

01:07:59.139 --> 01:08:01.600
to the crash site and do more

01:08:01.600 --> 01:08:03.800
excavation . That's what we're waiting

01:08:03.800 --> 01:08:05.879
on . Thank you . Thank you .

01:08:10.560 --> 01:08:12.899
Good morning . I'm uh Robert Scott

01:08:12.899 --> 01:08:15.379
McNeil and I'm here representing uh

01:08:15.379 --> 01:08:18.939
Seaman First Class , uh , Robert Daniel

01:08:18.939 --> 01:08:21.200
Smith , my mother's youngest brother .

01:08:21.660 --> 01:08:24.529
Um , and , uh , my uncle Bob was , uh ,

01:08:24.540 --> 01:08:28.410
killed on the USS Utah , um , uh ,

01:08:28.450 --> 01:08:32.318
on Sunday , December 7th , 1941 . And

01:08:32.318 --> 01:08:34.540
about 8 o'clock in the morning and he's

01:08:34.540 --> 01:08:37.438
one of 58 that were killed on the Utah .

01:08:37.719 --> 01:08:41.039
He's one of 54 that are unrecovered

01:08:41.039 --> 01:08:43.639
bodies that , um , at least from my

01:08:43.639 --> 01:08:46.349
perspective I'm told you all tell me

01:08:46.349 --> 01:08:48.719
differently , uh , he's one of 54 that

01:08:48.719 --> 01:08:50.441
are still on the ship with his

01:08:50.441 --> 01:08:53.258
shipmates . Um , I too appreciate

01:08:53.878 --> 01:08:56.309
everything that the DPAA is doing , and

01:08:56.309 --> 01:08:58.531
I look forward to learning more . Thank

01:08:58.531 --> 01:08:59.579
you . Thank you .

01:09:04.750 --> 01:09:06.639
Good morning . My name is Bridget

01:09:06.639 --> 01:09:09.589
Schrader . I'm here with my daughter

01:09:09.589 --> 01:09:12.750
Jennifer . We're here to honor my

01:09:12.750 --> 01:09:16.149
uncle . Patrick Leo

01:09:16.149 --> 01:09:18.709
Hennessy , who passed away in the

01:09:18.709 --> 01:09:22.509
Philippines around 1945 , thank you

01:09:22.509 --> 01:09:24.950
for everything that you're doing to

01:09:24.950 --> 01:09:28.850
help us , OK , thank you . Oh ,

01:09:30.180 --> 01:09:32.379
he was in the army . I'm sorry . Thank

01:09:32.379 --> 01:09:36.149
you . OK . Good

01:09:36.149 --> 01:09:38.700
morning . My name is Linda Tosh Dris ,

01:09:38.819 --> 01:09:41.152
and I'm here with my brother David Tosh ,

01:09:41.152 --> 01:09:43.870
and we are here in honor and memory of

01:09:43.870 --> 01:09:46.709
our uncle , First Lieutenant Stanley

01:09:46.709 --> 01:09:50.490
Tosh . The war ended . WW2

01:09:50.600 --> 01:09:54.310
ended in August of 1945 . My uncle was

01:09:54.310 --> 01:09:57.890
supposed to be home . Soon after , but

01:09:57.890 --> 01:10:00.209
they did keep some of the pilots back

01:10:00.209 --> 01:10:03.330
in the China Burma India theater to

01:10:03.330 --> 01:10:06.250
help the Chinese fight against the

01:10:06.250 --> 01:10:08.490
Japanese , and he was bringing supplies

01:10:08.490 --> 01:10:11.970
over the Himalayas . He was a pilot and

01:10:11.970 --> 01:10:15.250
he lost his life as well as several of

01:10:15.250 --> 01:10:17.450
the people that were on the plane in

01:10:17.450 --> 01:10:20.819
October 30th of 1945 . Because

01:10:21.330 --> 01:10:23.689
this happened after the war , there was

01:10:23.689 --> 01:10:25.745
a lot of stigma that happened and it

01:10:25.745 --> 01:10:29.189
was very quiet and subdued my , my dad .

01:10:30.689 --> 01:10:32.911
Whose brother was the one that lost his

01:10:32.911 --> 01:10:35.870
life . Really struggled with this for

01:10:35.870 --> 01:10:38.189
years and as his daughter I didn't

01:10:38.189 --> 01:10:41.910
learn this until 2013 when he

01:10:41.910 --> 01:10:44.069
cried about the fact that he lost his

01:10:44.069 --> 01:10:47.939
one and only brother . Back then I did

01:10:47.939 --> 01:10:51.270
happen to run into a divine appointment

01:10:51.270 --> 01:10:53.970
someone from the US Pentagon who

01:10:53.970 --> 01:10:56.270
happened to be the historian and he was

01:10:56.270 --> 01:10:59.100
actually able to get me records when I

01:10:59.100 --> 01:11:02.779
provided those to my dad he said if

01:11:02.779 --> 01:11:05.259
there is any way to bring the remains

01:11:05.259 --> 01:11:08.500
home of my brother , I would like you

01:11:08.500 --> 01:11:11.229
to work on this , Linda . My father

01:11:11.229 --> 01:11:14.310
passed in 2016 , but I am still on this

01:11:14.310 --> 01:11:16.790
mission , and I am so thankful for the

01:11:16.790 --> 01:11:20.000
DPAA to get in contact with us , send

01:11:20.000 --> 01:11:22.167
additional records so that we can send

01:11:22.167 --> 01:11:26.069
our DNA and to hopefully bring home

01:11:26.069 --> 01:11:28.990
my dad's brother Stanley . Thank you ,

01:11:29.350 --> 01:11:30.209
thank you .

01:11:35.240 --> 01:11:38.279
I'm here for James Howard Creighton .

01:11:38.879 --> 01:11:41.540
Uh , he was in the army .

01:11:42.669 --> 01:11:46.319
A Private First Class when he was

01:11:46.319 --> 01:11:49.759
lost in Korea . And uh

01:11:49.979 --> 01:11:53.580
later uh posthumously promoted to

01:11:53.580 --> 01:11:57.060
corporal in 1953 . He was lost on

01:11:57.060 --> 01:12:00.819
November 27th , 1957 . I'm

01:12:00.819 --> 01:12:04.500
sorry , November 27th , 1950 , uh ,

01:12:05.020 --> 01:12:08.350
when he was overrun by the Chinese . I

01:12:08.350 --> 01:12:10.609
did . Thank you .

01:12:18.470 --> 01:12:22.189
Hi , I'm Tom Summers . I'm here with

01:12:23.229 --> 01:12:26.770
And we're here to honor my uncle

01:12:27.149 --> 01:12:30.629
who was killed . In uh Plalulu

01:12:31.319 --> 01:12:35.290
in September of '44 . Um And a

01:12:35.290 --> 01:12:39.189
lot of people like watching . Um .

01:12:39.899 --> 01:12:42.279
But Yeah , I just want to find out .

01:12:42.430 --> 01:12:44.560
It's a lot more . Thank you , sir .

01:12:55.890 --> 01:12:58.209
Hi , my name is Mary Rodriguez , and

01:12:58.209 --> 01:13:01.689
I'm uh here for my uncle Private .

01:13:02.509 --> 01:13:04.790
Daniel Joseph Placta , and I'm here

01:13:04.790 --> 01:13:06.734
with my cousin and his wife and my

01:13:06.734 --> 01:13:10.500
husband . Um , he was . Daniel was

01:13:10.500 --> 01:13:14.100
from Detroit and he died on Okinawa in

01:13:14.100 --> 01:13:17.700
1945 and I have with me a

01:13:17.700 --> 01:13:20.540
letter from a fellow marine that states

01:13:20.540 --> 01:13:23.220
where he is buried so hopefully that'll

01:13:23.220 --> 01:13:25.540
be helpful and you'll uh we'll find him

01:13:25.540 --> 01:13:27.709
and bring him home . Thank you .

01:13:35.390 --> 01:13:38.350
I'm John Alexander . My wife , Carolyn

01:13:38.350 --> 01:13:41.149
and I are here to represent my , my

01:13:41.149 --> 01:13:44.689
uncle , um . PFC .

01:13:45.819 --> 01:13:49.470
Uh , Donald Coffey .

01:13:50.009 --> 01:13:53.229
He was a sniper scout with the uh Edson ,

01:13:53.490 --> 01:13:56.870
Edson's Raiders on Guadalcanal .

01:13:57.669 --> 01:14:01.089
And he was killed defending

01:14:01.089 --> 01:14:03.729
Edson's Ridge . Yeah .

01:14:04.609 --> 01:14:07.490
And I have it on good authority that

01:14:08.859 --> 01:14:11.270
According to my other uncle was at Iwo

01:14:11.270 --> 01:14:14.140
Jima , that they probably never found

01:14:14.140 --> 01:14:16.500
him , and I don't know what that means ,

01:14:16.589 --> 01:14:20.290
but somebody called me and said

01:14:20.580 --> 01:14:23.109
that they may have found him and I'm

01:14:23.109 --> 01:14:26.229
very hopeful . Thank you . Thank you ,

01:14:26.339 --> 01:14:27.339
sir .

01:14:30.529 --> 01:14:33.529
Thanks , um , I'm here . My name is

01:14:33.529 --> 01:14:36.169
Ellen Christensen , um , and I'm here

01:14:36.169 --> 01:14:39.700
representing my uncle , um . And my

01:14:39.700 --> 01:14:43.600
mom's here with me , um , and He

01:14:43.600 --> 01:14:47.600
was a pilot . He's a 1st lieutenant in

01:14:47.600 --> 01:14:51.350
World War II , and he was shot down .

01:14:51.560 --> 01:14:55.160
Um , there were 10 planes and 4 did

01:14:55.160 --> 01:14:57.640
not return . Um , they were flying in

01:14:57.640 --> 01:15:01.020
by mission over Egypt . Um .

01:15:02.250 --> 01:15:05.680
And uh , Uh , he

01:15:06.319 --> 01:15:08.560
went missing on the 14th of September

01:15:08.560 --> 01:15:12.200
1942 , um , and my dad was 5 years

01:15:12.200 --> 01:15:15.439
old when his brother died , so none of

01:15:15.439 --> 01:15:18.339
us really knew him , just the stories

01:15:18.799 --> 01:15:22.120
of his bravery , and we're grateful .

01:15:25.419 --> 01:15:28.750
Sorry . We're grateful to live in a

01:15:28.750 --> 01:15:30.509
country where it's important .

01:15:32.560 --> 01:15:34.879
To the citizens and to the government

01:15:34.879 --> 01:15:37.399
to bring our fallen service members

01:15:37.399 --> 01:15:39.529
home . Thank you .

01:15:44.589 --> 01:15:46.811
Good morning . I'm Megan , and I'm here

01:15:46.811 --> 01:15:48.867
representing my maternal great uncle

01:15:48.867 --> 01:15:51.089
Harvey Young . He was a proud Marine ,

01:15:51.549 --> 01:15:53.549
uh , was actually a field cook in P

01:15:53.549 --> 01:15:56.109
Pelalu , Palau , and was , according to

01:15:56.109 --> 01:15:58.276
family lore , killed when he went on a

01:15:58.276 --> 01:16:00.910
supply mission . Uh , my grandfather

01:16:00.910 --> 01:16:03.870
was a Marine as well , um , retired ,

01:16:03.950 --> 01:16:06.220
uh , after a lot of service as a full

01:16:06.220 --> 01:16:08.442
colonel and always taught me to live by

01:16:08.442 --> 01:16:10.609
the semper fi motto , and I just wanna

01:16:10.609 --> 01:16:12.831
say thank you to everyone who is living

01:16:12.831 --> 01:16:14.442
that out today . Thank you .

01:16:20.200 --> 01:16:22.279
My name's Janet and I'm here to

01:16:22.279 --> 01:16:24.959
represent my uncle Corporal Ralph

01:16:24.959 --> 01:16:28.850
Randall . My mom cried every

01:16:28.850 --> 01:16:32.009
day looking for her brother to come

01:16:32.009 --> 01:16:35.240
home . He was lost at the

01:16:35.240 --> 01:16:39.240
Westlock disaster in Maui in

01:16:39.240 --> 01:16:43.120
May of 1944 . And

01:16:44.189 --> 01:16:47.310
My mom didn't remember me with her

01:16:47.310 --> 01:16:49.990
dementia , but she was still looking

01:16:49.990 --> 01:16:53.839
for her brother when she passed . And

01:16:53.839 --> 01:16:56.200
I'd love to bring him home before I

01:16:56.200 --> 01:16:59.609
leave here . Thank you .

01:17:05.490 --> 01:17:09.049
I'm here to honor my father Francis

01:17:09.049 --> 01:17:12.850
Regis Jenkins . Um , he's missing in

01:17:12.850 --> 01:17:16.580
action , Korea . In

01:17:16.750 --> 01:17:20.520
November 1950 , um ,

01:17:20.640 --> 01:17:24.120
I was just a toddler . I have no memory .

01:17:24.200 --> 01:17:27.649
I have pictures . My sister was born

01:17:27.649 --> 01:17:31.279
September 4th , 1950 . It was

01:17:31.279 --> 01:17:35.259
always my mother's . Wish or hope

01:17:35.479 --> 01:17:38.240
that he did get notified that he had

01:17:38.240 --> 01:17:40.351
another daughter . I'm here right now

01:17:41.160 --> 01:17:44.500
daughter and my son , like many here ,

01:17:44.600 --> 01:17:48.479
um , passing the baton that

01:17:48.479 --> 01:17:52.055
these . Men and women too are not

01:17:52.055 --> 01:17:56.044
forgotten and that someday um we'll

01:17:56.044 --> 01:17:58.415
be able to get to North Korea and we'll

01:17:58.415 --> 01:18:01.774
be able to get um remains recovered and

01:18:01.774 --> 01:18:05.654
identifications . Thank you . Thank you .

01:18:11.299 --> 01:18:13.770
Good morning . We are the Rubenacher

01:18:13.770 --> 01:18:17.209
family . We're here to honor my great

01:18:17.209 --> 01:18:20.209
uncle , Joseph Luciano , who was in the

01:18:20.209 --> 01:18:23.950
109th Infantry , 28th Infantry Division ,

01:18:24.290 --> 01:18:27.569
um , declared missing September 15 ,

01:18:27.810 --> 01:18:31.109
1944 on the German Belgium ,

01:18:31.370 --> 01:18:34.680
Luxembourg border . Um , we've been

01:18:34.680 --> 01:18:38.520
coming to these 14 years now . I think

01:18:38.520 --> 01:18:41.359
our first one , we had 100 people in

01:18:41.359 --> 01:18:44.180
the room , so it's been very

01:18:44.419 --> 01:18:46.680
encouraging today to see and over the

01:18:46.680 --> 01:18:49.080
years how this has grown and how many

01:18:49.080 --> 01:18:52.140
families they've affected and how many

01:18:52.500 --> 01:18:54.799
um family members that they've been

01:18:54.799 --> 01:18:58.479
able to comfort and bring home .

01:18:58.759 --> 01:19:01.959
So thank you all very much . Thank you .

01:19:07.350 --> 01:19:10.229
Um , I'm here to honor my uncle Donald

01:19:10.229 --> 01:19:13.109
McGowan Junior . He was a corporal with ,

01:19:13.319 --> 01:19:16.669
uh , the 187th Airborne Regimental

01:19:16.669 --> 01:19:19.830
combat team . He was , uh , missing in

01:19:19.830 --> 01:19:22.799
action on May 25th , we believe ,

01:19:22.839 --> 01:19:26.720
1951 . Um , he was

01:19:26.720 --> 01:19:30.419
supposedly lost , um , in a prison camp .

01:19:31.020 --> 01:19:34.720
And we're not sure in his records

01:19:35.100 --> 01:19:38.500
if he was taken and captured

01:19:38.500 --> 01:19:42.359
or um what exactly happened to him . Um ,

01:19:42.509 --> 01:19:45.500
nothing else was ever found out . Thank

01:19:45.500 --> 01:19:45.899
you .

01:19:51.450 --> 01:19:54.089
Hi , my name is Ray Shipborn . I'm a

01:19:54.089 --> 01:19:56.490
rep over here for , uh , royal parole .

01:19:57.129 --> 01:19:59.220
He was born in Newberry , Michigan ,

01:19:59.729 --> 01:20:01.850
and during , he graduated during the

01:20:01.850 --> 01:20:04.589
Depression . He worked in the army . He

01:20:04.589 --> 01:20:06.922
ended up , uh , uh , in the Philippines ,

01:20:06.922 --> 01:20:09.839
and , um , it was the day after Pearl

01:20:09.839 --> 01:20:11.939
Harbor , the Japanese attack in the

01:20:11.939 --> 01:20:15.589
Philippines . I put on a death

01:20:15.589 --> 01:20:18.060
notch . And about one

01:20:19.970 --> 01:20:23.930
maybe . He survived against a prisoner

01:20:23.930 --> 01:20:26.950
of war for 3 years . Finally , uh ,

01:20:27.709 --> 01:20:29.931
they , the war was almost over and they

01:20:29.931 --> 01:20:33.290
left . They put him in the house . To

01:20:33.290 --> 01:20:35.512
to go back to Japan and worked as slave

01:20:36.009 --> 01:20:38.120
and uh they didn't , the ship was not

01:20:38.120 --> 01:20:40.750
identified and so American pilots

01:20:41.399 --> 01:20:44.129
founded it and sunk the ship and um .

01:20:45.959 --> 01:20:48.015
I guess I don't know what happened .

01:20:48.015 --> 01:20:50.799
The ship went down like 200 yards maybe

01:20:50.799 --> 01:20:53.120
from uh from shore . Some of the people

01:20:53.120 --> 01:20:55.750
were , were , were . They're thrown

01:20:55.750 --> 01:20:57.917
overboard in the shot , machine guns .

01:20:59.049 --> 01:21:01.189
What I heard before that on the whole

01:21:01.189 --> 01:21:04.660
ship . But um anyway , he was born in

01:21:04.660 --> 01:21:07.350
Newbury , Michigan . And he graduated

01:21:07.350 --> 01:21:09.517
there and they put up from high school

01:21:09.517 --> 01:21:11.979
they they put a . You know , like a , a

01:21:11.979 --> 01:21:14.990
sign or a um . Oh .

01:21:16.160 --> 01:21:18.327
So they have a list of the people that

01:21:18.327 --> 01:21:21.100
died and uh His name was uh

01:21:21.870 --> 01:21:25.189
Because he's love , they love Newberry

01:21:26.220 --> 01:21:28.810
and my grandparents did back in I don't

01:21:28.810 --> 01:21:32.350
know it was after he graduated , but

01:21:32.350 --> 01:21:35.859
the classmate remember . I

01:21:37.799 --> 01:21:41.410
OK , so the name of the other . So

01:21:42.910 --> 01:21:44.799
the last name on the sign because

01:21:44.799 --> 01:21:47.870
everybody else that for her but um they

01:21:47.870 --> 01:21:51.240
didn't know he died until later so put

01:21:51.240 --> 01:21:55.060
his name on the sign . I

01:21:55.919 --> 01:21:58.009
yeah , thank you . Thank you .

01:22:03.640 --> 01:22:07.419
Good morning . I'm uh Vernon Peters .

01:22:07.770 --> 01:22:09.779
I'm a retired Naval Captain Medical

01:22:09.779 --> 01:22:13.200
Service Corps . I'm here representing

01:22:13.859 --> 01:22:17.399
my maternal uncle , Private

01:22:17.419 --> 01:22:21.089
Ernest Melvin Bring . Who was

01:22:21.089 --> 01:22:25.049
killed on the 12th of December 1941

01:22:25.330 --> 01:22:28.250
at Clark Field in the Philippines . He

01:22:28.250 --> 01:22:31.569
was a ground maintenance crew

01:22:32.049 --> 01:22:35.020
with the 30th Bombardment Squadron .

01:22:36.490 --> 01:22:40.350
19th Bombardment Group . My

01:22:40.350 --> 01:22:42.770
family knew that he was killed and

01:22:42.770 --> 01:22:45.830
missing in action . We reviewed his

01:22:45.830 --> 01:22:49.109
files and see that the determination

01:22:49.109 --> 01:22:51.669
was made that he was uh

01:22:51.669 --> 01:22:54.649
non-recoverable , uh .

01:22:55.560 --> 01:22:59.040
That decision was made in 1952 . I

01:22:59.040 --> 01:23:01.560
think the burning question for us all

01:23:02.479 --> 01:23:04.640
was that if he was killed at Clark ,

01:23:04.720 --> 01:23:08.060
where was he buried ? And

01:23:08.060 --> 01:23:12.029
until our contact and efforts with the

01:23:12.029 --> 01:23:15.649
DPAA we've recently found out

01:23:15.910 --> 01:23:19.060
that that the remains were

01:23:19.060 --> 01:23:22.870
likely uh recovered and moved to the

01:23:22.870 --> 01:23:26.100
American military cemetery . Uh , there

01:23:26.100 --> 01:23:29.729
in Manila , a beautiful facility , and ,

01:23:29.740 --> 01:23:33.529
uh , Since we believe

01:23:33.669 --> 01:23:35.990
now that he was initially buried at the

01:23:35.990 --> 01:23:39.310
Fort Stassenberg Hospital at Clark and

01:23:39.310 --> 01:23:42.509
then uh disinterred and and removed ,

01:23:42.910 --> 01:23:46.319
he was buried there as an unknown . Uh ,

01:23:46.500 --> 01:23:48.899
there are , I believe , 64 sets of

01:23:48.899 --> 01:23:52.740
unknown remains from Fort Stotsenburg ,

01:23:52.979 --> 01:23:55.779
and we hope the process is such that he

01:23:55.779 --> 01:23:59.220
will eventually be identified . Thank

01:23:59.220 --> 01:24:01.640
you for all you do . Thank you , sir .

01:24:07.580 --> 01:24:09.747
Hi , I'm Peggy Drescher , and I'm here

01:24:09.747 --> 01:24:10.709
to represent my

01:24:15.850 --> 01:24:19.060
very emotional person , sorry . Um , my

01:24:19.060 --> 01:24:22.569
mother's brother who died in , um ,

01:24:22.580 --> 01:24:26.500
the Pacific operations , he was on

01:24:26.500 --> 01:24:29.939
the USS Hadley , and , uh , he replaced

01:24:29.939 --> 01:24:32.161
the gunners because they were too tired

01:24:32.161 --> 01:24:34.660
to continue on . So him and his buddies

01:24:34.660 --> 01:24:38.020
went up there and then uh at that time

01:24:38.020 --> 01:24:40.020
there was kamikaze pilots that were

01:24:40.020 --> 01:24:42.259
just , um , really doing a number on

01:24:42.259 --> 01:24:45.540
the ship . So , uh , one . Went and

01:24:45.839 --> 01:24:49.299
dove into right where he was , so , um ,

01:24:49.479 --> 01:24:51.759
I , we assumed that there was no

01:24:51.759 --> 01:24:53.926
remains , so I look forward to finding

01:24:53.926 --> 01:24:55.815
out if , you know , they did find

01:24:55.815 --> 01:24:58.600
anything , but I do wanna say my cousin

01:24:58.600 --> 01:25:01.799
Jeff Biesenmeyer wroteda . A book ,

01:25:01.879 --> 01:25:04.640
it's called Kamikaze Pilot or Kamikaze

01:25:04.640 --> 01:25:08.200
destroyer um for the USS Hadley and uh

01:25:08.200 --> 01:25:11.029
he interviewed the remaining , um ,

01:25:11.399 --> 01:25:14.640
soldiers or navy people that were on

01:25:14.640 --> 01:25:16.751
the ship so it's a really good book .

01:25:16.799 --> 01:25:19.021
It's called Kamikaze Destroyer and then

01:25:19.021 --> 01:25:21.459
he also followed up with another one .

01:25:21.839 --> 01:25:23.617
So , um , I wanna thank you for

01:25:23.617 --> 01:25:25.728
everything you're doing . Thank you .

01:25:25.728 --> 01:25:26.728
Thank you .

01:25:32.490 --> 01:25:36.020
Hello . I'm here to honor the

01:25:36.020 --> 01:25:39.830
memory of Lieutenant Dwayne John

01:25:39.830 --> 01:25:43.549
Kenny . He was , um , my mother's

01:25:43.859 --> 01:25:47.240
older brother and only sibling . He was ,

01:25:47.250 --> 01:25:49.919
um , brother .

01:25:51.580 --> 01:25:54.779
A picture of him . Uh , it's the only

01:25:54.779 --> 01:25:57.359
way actually that I know him . He

01:25:59.430 --> 01:26:02.549
Um , he was a , a navy pilot

01:26:03.000 --> 01:26:06.240
and was shot down , excuse me , he

01:26:06.240 --> 01:26:09.790
crashed in Chuk Lagoon in , um ,

01:26:09.919 --> 01:26:12.950
uh , Micronesia Island . So , um ,

01:26:12.959 --> 01:26:15.015
thank you very much for all the work

01:26:15.015 --> 01:26:16.737
that you've done . Thank you .

01:26:22.390 --> 01:26:24.446
Hi , my name is Sue Oliver , and I'm

01:26:24.446 --> 01:26:26.668
here with my sister Julie . We are here

01:26:26.668 --> 01:26:29.589
in remembrance of our uncle , one of 5

01:26:29.589 --> 01:26:32.549
boys in the family that served . Um ,

01:26:32.830 --> 01:26:36.390
his plane went down in North Korea . He

01:26:36.390 --> 01:26:40.069
was , uh , a decorated pilot flying for

01:26:40.069 --> 01:26:43.180
the Black Sheep , uh , the 8th , uh ,

01:26:43.189 --> 01:26:46.270
Fighter squadron , um , he .

01:26:47.180 --> 01:26:49.899
Had flown over 100 missions and was

01:26:49.899 --> 01:26:53.439
waiting to come home and volunteered

01:26:53.439 --> 01:26:56.830
for another one and and um disappeared

01:26:56.830 --> 01:27:00.649
at that time . And we

01:27:00.649 --> 01:27:03.290
thank you for all the efforts that are

01:27:03.290 --> 01:27:05.512
being done to recover all of our family

01:27:05.512 --> 01:27:07.729
members . Thank you . Thank you .

01:27:13.259 --> 01:27:15.490
Good morning . My name is Bill Bell .

01:27:16.540 --> 01:27:19.459
I'm here representing my uncle , my

01:27:19.459 --> 01:27:22.450
dad's youngest brother . Warren D .

01:27:22.589 --> 01:27:26.049
Bell , Staff Sergeant , Army Air Corps .

01:27:27.319 --> 01:27:31.290
We had My father , my

01:27:31.709 --> 01:27:35.169
young , my older brother , and 7 uncles

01:27:35.549 --> 01:27:39.279
in World War II . And Warren

01:27:39.279 --> 01:27:43.120
was a staff sergeant gunner on an A-20

01:27:43.120 --> 01:27:46.240
flying out of New Guinea . Took off May

01:27:46.240 --> 01:27:50.020
5th , 1944 on his 30th mission ,

01:27:50.759 --> 01:27:53.720
and the aircraft was never seen again

01:27:53.959 --> 01:27:57.549
after takeoff . They don't know exactly

01:27:57.549 --> 01:28:00.470
what happened to this day , never seen

01:28:00.470 --> 01:28:03.629
again . Thank you , sir .

01:28:12.370 --> 01:28:15.839
Hello , I'm here to remember my uncles ,

01:28:16.370 --> 01:28:19.609
Lieutenant Edward Guideman , 14th

01:28:19.609 --> 01:28:22.640
onward division . Killed by a mortar

01:28:22.640 --> 01:28:26.560
bomb in a town called Ritterhan in

01:28:26.560 --> 01:28:30.200
France in January of 1944 .

01:28:31.049 --> 01:28:34.790
And I'd like to say . The importance

01:28:35.250 --> 01:28:38.370
of what you're doing , pardon me , of

01:28:38.370 --> 01:28:41.109
what you're doing . Is evidenced by the

01:28:42.609 --> 01:28:46.569
tears I see . 8 years

01:28:46.569 --> 01:28:49.859
after the fact . Thank you . Thank you ,

01:28:49.979 --> 01:28:50.330
sir .

01:28:55.700 --> 01:28:57.859
Name is Dennis Welker . We're here

01:28:57.859 --> 01:29:01.129
representing Sergeant Paul Michael ,

01:29:01.870 --> 01:29:05.080
part of the Merrill Marauders . He was

01:29:05.080 --> 01:29:08.640
killed in action on June 5th , 1944 in

01:29:08.640 --> 01:29:11.709
Burma . Thank you . Thank you , sir .

01:29:16.700 --> 01:29:18.756
Uh , good morning . Let me first say

01:29:18.756 --> 01:29:20.922
thank you , DPAA for everything you're

01:29:20.922 --> 01:29:23.144
doing to keep the memories and the hope

01:29:23.144 --> 01:29:25.859
alive . Um , I'm here with my wife to ,

01:29:26.410 --> 01:29:28.640
uh , remember and honor my uncle Ralph

01:29:28.640 --> 01:29:30.890
Penick , who was a member of the 4th ,

01:29:30.930 --> 01:29:32.770
uh , Marine Regiment , the China

01:29:32.770 --> 01:29:35.890
Marines , uh , that was , uh , served

01:29:35.890 --> 01:29:38.529
in the Philippines . Um , he was

01:29:38.529 --> 01:29:40.640
captured and became a prisoner of war

01:29:40.640 --> 01:29:43.830
at the fall of Corregidor and was a POW

01:29:43.830 --> 01:29:47.540
for almost 3 years . Um , and then died

01:29:47.540 --> 01:29:50.250
somewhere between December 15th and

01:29:50.250 --> 01:29:53.939
December 21st , 1944 when the

01:29:53.939 --> 01:29:56.640
Japanese POW camp , they whisked , uh ,

01:29:56.810 --> 01:30:00.740
nearly 1700 POWs and , um , put

01:30:00.740 --> 01:30:03.819
them on hell ships trying to evacuate

01:30:03.819 --> 01:30:07.439
them to Japan as dentured servants . Um .

01:30:08.270 --> 01:30:11.729
The ships were actually uh shot down

01:30:11.729 --> 01:30:14.990
under friendly fire . Um , some people

01:30:14.990 --> 01:30:17.189
made it ashore , uh , in the

01:30:17.189 --> 01:30:19.629
Philippines only to be loaded into

01:30:19.629 --> 01:30:22.779
other , uh , hell ships and , uh ,

01:30:22.790 --> 01:30:26.370
taken to Japan . Out of the 1700 ,

01:30:26.629 --> 01:30:30.470
uh , only 400 made it to Japan of

01:30:30.470 --> 01:30:34.310
the , uh . Uh , the POWs and

01:30:34.310 --> 01:30:37.689
200 of those made it home after the war .

01:30:38.209 --> 01:30:40.750
So quite a few , uh , gave their life

01:30:40.750 --> 01:30:43.083
in service of our company , our country .

01:30:43.109 --> 01:30:45.053
More importantly , I'm here for my

01:30:45.053 --> 01:30:48.470
93-year-old mother , um , who is alive

01:30:48.470 --> 01:30:50.414
and doing well down in Knoxville ,

01:30:50.414 --> 01:30:53.549
Tennessee , is hoping that , uh , with

01:30:53.549 --> 01:30:55.660
through the work of the EPAA that her

01:30:55.660 --> 01:30:57.716
brother can be returned home . Thank

01:30:57.716 --> 01:30:59.060
you . Thank you , sir .

01:31:03.689 --> 01:31:05.578
Hello , good morning . My name is

01:31:05.578 --> 01:31:07.522
Meredith McGill . I'm here with my

01:31:07.522 --> 01:31:10.939
daughter in remembrance of my father

01:31:10.939 --> 01:31:13.339
who was William Francis McGill killed

01:31:13.339 --> 01:31:16.419
in southern Italy in February of

01:31:16.419 --> 01:31:20.419
1944 . He was a really , really beloved

01:31:20.419 --> 01:31:23.020
athlete in court Huron , Michigan and

01:31:23.020 --> 01:31:25.131
is remembered in their sports Hall of

01:31:25.131 --> 01:31:27.350
Fame . Thank you .

01:31:32.500 --> 01:31:34.939
I want to thank you for what you do for

01:31:34.939 --> 01:31:38.180
this because a little over 1 year ago I

01:31:38.180 --> 01:31:40.580
found out I had a cousin that served in

01:31:40.580 --> 01:31:44.330
World War II , a Staff Sergeant George

01:31:44.330 --> 01:31:47.660
Andrews , and he was lost in action and

01:31:47.660 --> 01:31:49.740
I know he's not forgotten and that's

01:31:49.740 --> 01:31:51.962
the big thing . Thank you . Thank you ,

01:31:51.962 --> 01:31:52.962
sir .

01:31:57.609 --> 01:32:01.209
Hi , I'm Mary Mary Ojajarri Bug . My

01:32:01.209 --> 01:32:04.180
uncle Rayno Matias Oyayerri ,

01:32:05.250 --> 01:32:08.770
um , was killed in the Solomon Islands

01:32:08.770 --> 01:32:12.609
in July of 1943 . He was the

01:32:12.609 --> 01:32:15.169
son of immigrant immigrants from

01:32:15.169 --> 01:32:17.729
Finland , and they lost two of their

01:32:17.729 --> 01:32:21.160
boys in World War Two . Thank you ,

01:32:21.250 --> 01:32:22.250
ma'am .

01:32:26.439 --> 01:32:30.299
I'm Doug Buck , and I'm here for Uncle

01:32:30.520 --> 01:32:34.379
Russell Zoller , one of 3 brothers .

01:32:36.140 --> 01:32:39.740
And uh I have a father who also served

01:32:39.740 --> 01:32:43.669
in World War II . Russell was lost on a

01:32:43.669 --> 01:32:46.790
ship that crashed into Newfoundland in

01:32:46.790 --> 01:32:50.589
a storm . And uh his The

01:32:50.589 --> 01:32:54.009
body was possibly never recovered . I'm

01:32:54.009 --> 01:32:56.065
hoping he might have been one of the

01:32:56.065 --> 01:32:58.290
ones that was recovered as an unknown .

01:32:59.399 --> 01:33:01.621
And we'll , we'll see where that goes ,

01:33:01.621 --> 01:33:03.732
but I appreciate the work done here .

01:33:04.129 --> 01:33:05.129
Thank you , sir .

01:33:09.109 --> 01:33:11.549
My name is Mary . I'm here in honor of

01:33:11.549 --> 01:33:14.629
my uncle Frederick Henry Millhop Jr .

01:33:14.790 --> 01:33:17.270
He was a 1st lieutenant in the Air

01:33:17.270 --> 01:33:20.870
Force . He served in both World War II ,

01:33:20.950 --> 01:33:23.310
which I just learned today , as well as

01:33:23.310 --> 01:33:26.890
in Korea . He has assumed MIA

01:33:27.270 --> 01:33:30.069
as of my father's birthday when my

01:33:30.069 --> 01:33:32.830
parents were notified , and my dad had

01:33:32.830 --> 01:33:35.810
a very difficult time handling that

01:33:35.830 --> 01:33:38.169
information for the rest of his life .

01:33:38.649 --> 01:33:41.890
We appreciate everything you do and I

01:33:41.890 --> 01:33:44.001
really appreciate learning more about

01:33:44.001 --> 01:33:46.112
the uncle that we never got to know .

01:33:46.112 --> 01:33:48.089
Thank you so much . Thank you .

01:33:54.109 --> 01:33:56.310
Good morning , everyone . Um , my name

01:33:56.310 --> 01:33:59.549
is Mary , and we are here remembering

01:33:59.549 --> 01:34:02.589
our uncle , 2nd Lieutenant Stanley

01:34:02.589 --> 01:34:06.370
Bucky . He , his plane was

01:34:06.370 --> 01:34:09.299
missing in action in Papua New Guinea

01:34:10.129 --> 01:34:13.770
in October of '43 . He

01:34:13.770 --> 01:34:17.390
was the navigator . One good thing

01:34:17.390 --> 01:34:20.419
is because of this , they have found

01:34:20.419 --> 01:34:23.540
the plane , we have the wings , they

01:34:23.540 --> 01:34:26.649
found remains . So , we're

01:34:27.520 --> 01:34:29.520
Going through the process and it is

01:34:29.520 --> 01:34:32.180
working . Make sure you give your DNA .

01:34:32.939 --> 01:34:34.600
Thank you . Thank you .

01:34:39.240 --> 01:34:41.184
Good morning . My name is Patricia

01:34:41.184 --> 01:34:44.290
Ozipko . I'm with

01:34:44.990 --> 01:34:48.870
my sister Jean Pavlik and Edith Booth ,

01:34:49.189 --> 01:34:52.560
and we are here to honor my brother

01:34:52.560 --> 01:34:56.410
John Donovan . He was a farm

01:34:56.410 --> 01:34:59.250
boy from Sheboygan , Michigan , and

01:34:59.250 --> 01:35:02.549
then we moved to Oscona and from there

01:35:02.729 --> 01:35:06.649
he went to to Korea in 1951 , I

01:35:06.649 --> 01:35:09.529
think it was September , and he died

01:35:09.529 --> 01:35:12.959
December 1st of 195951 . Thank you for

01:35:12.959 --> 01:35:15.410
all you're doing . Thank you .

01:35:22.790 --> 01:35:25.450
Hi , my name is Suzie Schultz . I'm

01:35:25.450 --> 01:35:28.299
here for William Warren Schultz . Um ,

01:35:28.390 --> 01:35:31.009
my uncle , uh , when I was growing up ,

01:35:31.430 --> 01:35:33.597
we would always walk past a picture in

01:35:33.597 --> 01:35:35.790
my , uh , grandma's house where my

01:35:35.790 --> 01:35:38.069
father was combing his hair as a

01:35:38.069 --> 01:35:41.399
private and was looking into the mirror .

01:35:41.629 --> 01:35:44.509
That's what I thought . And I was 11

01:35:44.509 --> 01:35:46.565
before I knew that was his identical

01:35:46.565 --> 01:35:48.799
twin brother . Billy , my father ,

01:35:49.020 --> 01:35:51.919
Robert G . Schultz and his brother

01:35:51.919 --> 01:35:54.560
William . Um , we never met Uncle Billy ,

01:35:54.660 --> 01:35:56.890
he died , uh , as they were heading out

01:35:57.140 --> 01:36:00.140
in World War II to bomb , um , uh , oil

01:36:00.140 --> 01:36:02.850
fields in Politz , Germany , uh , um ,

01:36:03.020 --> 01:36:05.076
none of which I ever knew because my

01:36:05.076 --> 01:36:07.140
father , who was so close to , of

01:36:07.140 --> 01:36:09.500
course , his twin brother , um , could

01:36:09.500 --> 01:36:12.859
never talk about Billy . And so one day

01:36:12.859 --> 01:36:15.899
when the call came from uh um from the

01:36:15.899 --> 01:36:19.640
army about You , my uncle ,

01:36:19.919 --> 01:36:22.086
I thought for sure it was some type of

01:36:22.086 --> 01:36:24.540
scam , um , and they were , and I was

01:36:24.540 --> 01:36:26.651
like , well , what would they get out

01:36:26.651 --> 01:36:28.818
of this ? And , um , I was so grateful

01:36:28.818 --> 01:36:31.279
to be able to hear all the history of

01:36:31.279 --> 01:36:34.149
this man that I had never met , but I

01:36:34.149 --> 01:36:36.560
knew was such a part of my father's

01:36:36.560 --> 01:36:39.080
life . In almost every picture when he

01:36:39.080 --> 01:36:41.799
came back from World War II , my father

01:36:41.799 --> 01:36:45.560
is standing one person away from

01:36:45.560 --> 01:36:47.899
whoever is in the picture . He was

01:36:47.899 --> 01:36:50.689
always making room for his brother . So

01:36:50.689 --> 01:36:52.729
my two sisters and I , Vicky and

01:36:52.729 --> 01:36:55.609
Jeannie , when we talked about it , we

01:36:55.609 --> 01:36:57.776
just burst into tears because this was

01:36:57.776 --> 01:37:00.109
the person we were missing in our lives ,

01:37:00.109 --> 01:37:02.220
and we never knew that . So thank you

01:37:02.220 --> 01:37:04.220
very much for bringing this work to

01:37:04.220 --> 01:37:06.410
fruition and for helping us know a

01:37:06.410 --> 01:37:08.410
little bit more about somebody that

01:37:08.410 --> 01:37:10.243
we've always loved . Thank you .

01:37:16.990 --> 01:37:19.870
I've already spoken , but I wanna tell

01:37:19.870 --> 01:37:22.319
you something . That will give you a

01:37:22.319 --> 01:37:26.140
lot of I told

01:37:26.919 --> 01:37:30.240
a story this morning about a man who

01:37:30.240 --> 01:37:33.509
was buried in my uncle's grave . In

01:37:33.509 --> 01:37:37.399
Illinois . And We

01:37:37.399 --> 01:37:41.240
knew or it was positive that he was an

01:37:41.240 --> 01:37:45.109
MRI to my grandmother . But she

01:37:45.109 --> 01:37:48.950
buried him in this spot with all the

01:37:48.950 --> 01:37:52.209
honors and love . A mother can give

01:37:52.689 --> 01:37:56.129
because she said that . The mother

01:37:56.129 --> 01:37:58.729
that's burying her son would do the

01:37:58.729 --> 01:38:02.049
same thing . So with the information

01:38:02.049 --> 01:38:04.870
today , someone from World War II

01:38:06.609 --> 01:38:09.319
That lost someone in Italy .

01:38:10.609 --> 01:38:12.970
Will possibly be able to find their

01:38:12.970 --> 01:38:15.879
relatives . And with this work that

01:38:15.879 --> 01:38:18.490
they're doing , It's so overwhelming

01:38:18.490 --> 01:38:21.009
that I had to tell you that that's

01:38:21.009 --> 01:38:23.750
happening and if it's happened for one

01:38:23.970 --> 01:38:26.810
it might have happened for others so

01:38:26.810 --> 01:38:30.250
keep the hope and I just praise God

01:38:30.490 --> 01:38:33.930
that we live in America . Thank

01:38:34.479 --> 01:38:37.359
you . Do you have time to run . Here .

01:38:40.100 --> 01:38:42.899
Hi , my name is Roger Isaacson . Uh ,

01:38:43.020 --> 01:38:45.479
I'm here for my mother's brother ,

01:38:46.060 --> 01:38:49.500
Lyndon , 2nd Lieutenant Lyndon Collins .

01:38:49.850 --> 01:38:53.299
Uh , he was a navigator on a B-24 . It

01:38:53.299 --> 01:38:55.979
was lost on a mission on May 5th ,

01:38:56.220 --> 01:38:59.490
1944 , uh , near Truck

01:38:59.490 --> 01:39:03.439
Atoll , uh . I've been researching

01:39:03.439 --> 01:39:06.479
this myself since the late 90s . I've

01:39:06.479 --> 01:39:10.459
talked to actually operations officers

01:39:10.919 --> 01:39:14.750
and uh it's This

01:39:14.750 --> 01:39:17.910
is just a great thing you guys do . I

01:39:17.910 --> 01:39:19.966
just wanna say to the gentleman over

01:39:19.966 --> 01:39:22.220
there whose relative was lost on a ship

01:39:22.549 --> 01:39:24.950
just recently because of the work you

01:39:24.950 --> 01:39:28.870
do , remains of a man who was on

01:39:28.870 --> 01:39:32.229
a one of those sunk Japanese ships was

01:39:32.229 --> 01:39:35.009
returned to his family . Thank you .

01:39:35.290 --> 01:39:36.290
Thank you , sir .

01:39:42.759 --> 01:39:45.350
Uh , thank you . Uh , I'm here for , uh ,

01:39:45.370 --> 01:39:48.209
my older brother who was an air , a

01:39:48.209 --> 01:39:50.153
Navy crew member who flew what was

01:39:50.153 --> 01:39:52.209
commonly called the whale of the USS

01:39:52.209 --> 01:39:55.859
Ebisky . Um And this

01:39:55.859 --> 01:39:58.180
coming June will be 55 years since this

01:39:58.180 --> 01:40:00.859
plane went down . And God bless the two

01:40:00.859 --> 01:40:02.915
gentlemen who came to our door at 10

01:40:02.915 --> 01:40:05.137
o'clock that Saturday morning to let us

01:40:05.137 --> 01:40:07.640
know . I can't imagine ever having to

01:40:07.640 --> 01:40:09.751
do that , but I appreciate everything

01:40:09.751 --> 01:40:11.862
you're doing here . Thank you . Thank

01:40:11.862 --> 01:40:11.620
you , sir .