Military labs do the detective work to identify soldiers decades after they died in World War II

Josh Funk, Associated Press

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AP) — Generations of American families person grown up not knowing precisely what happened to their loved ones who died while serving their state successful World War II and different conflicts.

But a national laboratory tucked distant supra nan bowling alley astatine Offutt Air Force Base adjacent Omaha and a sister laboratory successful Hawaii are steadily answering those lingering questions, aiming to connection 200 families per twelvemonth nan chance to grant their relatives pinch a due burial.

“They whitethorn not moreover person been live erstwhile that work personnel was alive, but that communicative gets carried down done nan generations,” said Carrie Brown, a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory head astatine Offutt. “They whitethorn person seen connected nan mantle a image of that personification erstwhile they were small and not really understood aliases known who they were.”

Memorial Day and nan upcoming 80th day of D-Day connected June 6 are reminders of nan urgency of Brown’s work. The forensic anthropologists, aesculapian examiners and historians who activity together to place mislaid soldiers are successful a title against clip arsenic remains buried connected battlefields astir nan globe deteriorate.

But advances successful DNA technology, mixed pinch innovative techniques including comparing bones to thorax X-rays taken by nan military, mean nan labs tin place much of nan missing soldiers each year. Some 72,000 World War II soldiers stay unaccounted for, on pinch astir 10,000 much from each nan conflicts since. The experts judge astir half of those are recoverable.

The agency identified 59 servicemembers successful 2013, erstwhile nan Offutt laboratory first opened. That number has steadily risen — 159 work members past year, up from 134 successful 2022 — and nan labs person a extremity of 200 identifications annually.

The labs’ activity allowed Donna Kennedy to hide her cousin, Cpl. Charles Ray Patten, pinch afloat subject honors this period successful nan aforesaid Lawson, Missouri, cemetery wherever his begetter and grandfather are buried. Patten died 74 years agone during nan Korean War, but spent decades buried arsenic an chartless successful nan National Memorial Cemetery of nan Pacific successful Hawaii.

“I conscionable I ached. I mean, it hurt. You know, I conscionable felt truthful bad. Even though I didn’t cognize him, I loved him,” Kennedy said.

Donna Kennedy holds a photograph of her cousin, Cpl. Charles Ray Patten who was buried pinch afloat subject honors, Monday, May 20, 2024 successful Lawson, Mo. He was identified by nan Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Patten died 74 years earlier successful nan Korean War, but spent decades buried arsenic an chartless successful nan National Memorial Cemetery of nan Pacific successful Hawaii. | Nick Ingram, AP Photo

Patten’s ceremonial was a elemental matter pinch conscionable a fewer family members. But often erstwhile veterans who fought decades earlier are identified, group waving flags and holding signs statement nan streets of their hometowns to herald nan return of their remains.

“This activity is important first and foremost because these are individuals that gave their lives to protect our freedom, and they paid nan eventual sacrifice. So we’re present holding that committedness that we’ll return them location to their families,” Brown said.

“It’s important for their families to show them that we’ll ne'er stop, nary matter what,” she said.

Often location are compelling details, Brown said.

One of her first cases progressive nan intact remains of a World War I Marine recovered successful a wood successful France pinch his wallet still successful his pocket. The wallet, initialed G.H., contained a New York Times article describing plans for nan violative successful which he yet died. He besides had an infantryman badge pinch his sanction and nan twelvemonth he received it connected nan back.

Before leaving France pinch nan remains, nan squad visited a section cemetery wherever different soldiers were buried and learned location were only 2 missing soldiers pinch nan initials G.H.

Brown had a adjacent thought who that worker was earlier his remains moreover arrived successful nan lab. That seasoned was buried successful Arlington National Cemetery and Brown often visits his sedate erstwhile she is successful Washington D.C.

Most cases aren’t that easy.

The experts who activity astatine nan laboratory must portion together identities by looking astatine humanities records astir wherever nan remains were recovered and which soldiers were successful nan area. They past consult nan database of imaginable names and usage nan bones, objects recovered pinch them, subject aesculapian records and DNA to corroborate their identities. They attraction connected battles and level crashes wherever they person nan top chance of occurrence because of disposable information.

But their activity tin beryllium analyzable if soldiers were buried successful a impermanent cemetery and moved erstwhile a portion was forced to retreat. And unidentified soldiers were often buried together.

When remains are brought to nan lab, they sometimes see an other bone. Experts past walk months aliases moreover years matching nan bones and waiting for DNA and different trial results to corroborate their identities.

One trial moreover tin place if nan worker grew up chiefly eating atom aliases a corn-based diet.

The laboratory besides compares circumstantial traits of collar bones to nan thorax X-rays nan subject routinely took of soldiers earlier they were deployed. It helps that nan subject keeps extended records of each soldiers.

Those clues thief nan experts put together nan puzzle of someone’s identity.

“It’s not ever easy. It’s surely not instantaneous,” Brown said. “Some of nan cases, we really person to conflict to get to that spot, because immoderate of them person been gone for 80 years.”

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency forensic anthropologist Carrie Brown looks astatine objects successful a laboratory astatine Offutt Air Force Base, Monday, May 20, 2024, successful Bellevue, Neb. | Charlie Neibergall, AP Photo