MIA Update - May 29, 2020

[boardman]

MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced three new identifications 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:

-- Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Charles D. Miller, 19, was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 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. Miller died on the third day of battle, Nov. 22, 1943. Interment services are pending. Read about Miller https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2196899/marine-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-miller-c/.
-- Army Sgt. Jesse D. Hill, 20, was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered. Interment services are pending. Read about Hill https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2194642/soldier-accounted-for-from-korean-war-hill-j/.
-- U.S. Navy Metalsmith 1st Class Leonard F. Smith, 29, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Smith. Interment services are pending. Read about Smith https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2191292/uss-oklahoma-sailor-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-smith-l/.