Posted on Nov 21, 2015
SGT Infantryman (Airborne)
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DPAA must be working overtime. Seven Mia's returned in two days is awesome news. One is a Korean veteran, and the other is a Vietnam veteran. May God bless you both. You're home now. Your war is finally over.
DPAA has been busy recently. Since my article yesterday was posted, DPAA has announced identification and accounting for the following formerly-missing US military personnel.

From Korea

• SGT Robert C. Dakin, L Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 12 December 1950 in North Korea. He was accounted for on 16 November 2015.

From Vietnam

• PFC Kenneth L. Cunningham, 225th Aviation Company, 223rd Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, US Army was lost on 3 October 1969 in South Vietnam. He was accounted for on 13 November 2015.

You’re no longer missing, elder brothers-in-arms. Our apologies that your return took so long.

Now you’re home. Rest in peace.

. . .

Over 73,000 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,800 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; and over 1,600 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia (SEA). Comparison of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from recovered remains against mtDNA from a matrilineal descendant can assist in making a positive ID for unidentified remains that have already been recovered, or which may be recovered in the future.

DPAA’s web site now has what appears to be a decent “Contact Us” page. The page doesn’t have instructions concerning who can and cannot submit a mtDNA sample or how to submit one, but the POCs listed there may be able to refer you to someone who can answer that question – or may be able to answer the question themselves. If you think you might possibly qualify, please contact one of those POCs for further information.

If your family lost someone in one of these conflicts and you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample, please arrange to submit one. By doing that you just might help identify the remains of a US service member who’s been repatriated but not yet been identified – as well as a relative of yours, however distant. Or you may help to identify remains to be recovered in the future.

Everybody deserves a proper burial. That’s especially true for those who gave their all while serving this nation.
Posted in these groups: Pow logo POW/MIAKorea KoreaVietnam service ribbon Vietnam War
Edited 9 y ago
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CSM Michael J. Uhlig
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Welcome home Heroes, I salute you both!
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SGT Infantryman (Airborne)
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Judith Falkner
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Welcome home men.From myself and my family we salute you both.
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MSgt Curtis Ellis
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"Welcome home..."
I hope even more are as fortunate!
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