MIA Update- November 22, 2019

[boardman]

MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced three new identifications, and four burial updates for service members who have been missing and unaccounted-for from WWII and the Korean War. Returning home for burial with full military honors are:

-- Navy Fireman 1st Class Hadley I. Heavin, 23, of Kansas City, Missouri, was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS West Virginia sustained multiple torpedo hits, but timely counter-flooding measures taken by the crew prevented it from capsizing, and it came to rest on the shallow harbor floor. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Heavin. Interment services are pending. Read about Heavin https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2021923/uss-west-virginia-sailor-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-heavin-h/.
-- Navy Fireman 3rd Class Welborn L. Ashby, 24, of Louisville, Kentucky, was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The ship sustained multiple torpedo hits, but timely counter-flooding measures taken by the crew prevented it from capsizing, and it came to rest on the shallow harbor floor. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Ashby. Interment services are pending. Read about Ashby https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2021915/uss-west-virginia-sailor-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-ashby-w/.
-- Army Sgt. Maximiano T. Lacsamana, 37, of the Philippines, a veteran of the Philippine Scouts during World War II, was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. During the Korean War, his unit was engaged in intense fighting with the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces near Hagaru-ri, North Korea. He was reported missing in action Dec. 3, 1950. Following the war, his remains could not be recovered. Interment services are pending. Read about Lacsamana https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2021534/soldier-accounted-for-from-korean-war-lacsamana-m/.
-- Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Alfred Edwards, 33 of Stilwell, Oklahoma, was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Edwards was killed on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943. Edwards will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The date has yet to be determined. Read about Edwards https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2022491/marine-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-edwards-a/.
-- Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. John R. Bayens, 20, of Louisville, Kentucky, was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and sailors were killed, including Bayens on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943. Bayens will be buried Dec. 16, 2019, in Louisville, Kentucky. Read about Bayens https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/1975712/marine-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-bayens-j/.
-- Army Pfc. Wilbur T. Tackett, 18, of Alger, Ohio, was a member of Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, when enemy forces attacked his unit near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. His remains could not be recovered following the attack. Tackett will be buried in his hometown. The date has yet to be decided. Read about Tackett https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/1932580/soldier-accounted-for-from-korean-war-tackett-w/.
-- Navy Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Arnold M. Nielsen, 32, of Oakland, California, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which capsized after sustaining multiple torpedo hits as it was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Nielsen. The funeral date and location have yet to be decided. Read about Nielsen https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/1956823/uss-oklahoma-sailor-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-nielsen-a/.