Two of the five joint-recovery
operations scheduled for this year have been completed. In the first
operation, three sets of remains believed to be those of missing Americans
were recovered and returned to the U.S. Army Central Identification
Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI). The second operation finished in early July and
eight more sets of remains were shipped to the U.S. Three more operations
are scheduled for this year, each with two teams deployed.
The three remains recovered
during the first operation are believed to be of men in the U.S. Army’s 1st
Cavalry Division, and the 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions, lost in November
of 1950 during battle with the Chinese. The remains were removed from Unsan and Kujang counties, along
the Chong Chon River, about 60-miles north of Pyongyang.
Of the eight remains found
during the second operation, four were found in the Kujang area; four were
found in the Kaechon area, also referred to as The Gauntlet. Both of these
areas are in northwest North Korea, where the U.S. Army fought the Chinese
in October and November of 1950. The recovered remains are believed to be
those of soldiers who belonged to the 1st Cavalry Division, the 2nd
Infantry Division, and the 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions.
There are three joint operations
scheduled for the rest of this year, each consisting of two recovery teams.
Operation #3 will take place from 21 July to 21 August. Both teams will be
deployed to the same locations as were searched during the first and second
operations (Kujang and Kaechon).
Also during this operation, an advance
team will be sent in to prepare for recovery operations to begin at the
Chosin Reservoir. The 1st Marine Division fought heavy battles with the
Chinese on the west side of the reservoir in late 1950. Task Force Faith, a
regiment of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, took heavy casualties while
fighting at the same time on the east side of the reservoir. DPMO expects
to find large numbers of remains in this location. Operation #4 will take
place from 1 September to 2 October. One team will deploy to Kujang. The
other will deploy to the Chosin. Operation #5 will take place from 13
October to 10 November. Both teams will again deploy to Kujang and the
Chosin.
Recent Identifications
Two more sets of Korean War remains
have been recently identified. This brings the total number of men
identified to 11. There are eight other sets of remains that are in the
final stages of the identification process at CILHI.
Update on Punchbowl Unknowns
CILHI reports that scientists at the
Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) have still not been able
to solve the mystery of why they can’t extract DNA from remains buried as
unknowns at the Punchbowl Cemetery in Hawaii. Four sets of Korean War
remains and two sets of WWII remains have been disinterred from the
Punchbowl in the last two years. Scientists have not been able to extract
DNA from any of the four Korean War remains, or one of the WWII remains.
All are believed to have been sprinkled with a preservative powder at the
Kokura mortuary in Japan before being shipped back to the U.S. The thinking
is that this powder somehow either destroyed the DNA, or caused it to bind
to the bone, thus making extraction difficult.
AFDIL scientists reportedly
are inclined to believe that the powder did not destroy the DNA, but rather
caused it to bind to the bone. They are seeing what looks like DNA as they
study the bones, but just haven’t been able to separate out the DNA. We are
told that they have not run out of ideas, and will continue researching the
situation.
Interestingly, DNA has
recently been extracted from the other set of WWII remains. The casket that
held those remains leaked, though, and when the remains were removed, they
were completely wet. Scientists don’t know if this set of remains wasn’t
sprinkled with the powder, or if the moisture in the casket somehow washed
the powder off and kept it from damaging the DNA.
Family DNA Reference Samples
As of early July, AFDIL had received
3,223 Korean War Family Reference Samples (FRS) of DNA, representing 2,152
missing men, and 62 Cold War FRS, representing 40 of the 124 Cold War
losses. Each month, AFDIL reports approx. 40-60 cases. AFDIL processes FRSs
pertaining to men missing from all wars dating back to WWII. The lab’s
workload continues to increase as family outreach programs locate more
families, particularly those with men missing from World War II and the
Korean War. In its June report, AFDIL reported a total backlog of 1,935
specimens, representing men missing from all the wars. That backlog
includes inactive cases, cases in progress, and cases under review. The
backlog has increased, mainly because the number of FRSs has increased. The
lab received more new FRSs in May than it has in any month to date.
Most of the new Korean War
FRSs come from families whose missing loved one was in the Army. Of the
more than 8,200 men who remain missing from the Korean War, more than 6,000
were in the Army.
AFDIL has recruited five new
scientists to the Family Reference Database Section. All are onboard and
have begun their training, which should be completed by late September. The
lab should be able to significantly increase the number of cases it reports
out each month after that time.
We suggest that each family
obtain a copy of their family sequence. The donor(s) must sign a release
stating that the sequencing of their DNA can be released to the requesting
party. To request a copy of your family’s sequence, send the name and
address of your family’s donor(s) to AFDIL and the lab will send them a
release to sign. Send your request by e-mail to Mr. Vinh Lam at <lamv@afip.osd.mil> or call him at 301-319-0094.
