MIA Update - July 3, 2023

[boardman]

MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced five burial updates for service members who have been missing and unaccounted-for from World War II and Vietnam. Returning home for burial with full military honors are:

--Air Force Colonel Ernest L. De Soto, 37, of San Francisco, California, was assigned to 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 336th Tactical Fighter Wing. He was piloting an F-4D Phantom II that went missing on April 12, 1969. He was buried in Burlingame, California, on June 30, 2023. Read about De Soto https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/3355750/pilot-accounted-for-from-vietnam-war-de-soto-e/.
--Army Pfc. George B. Thomas, 31, of East Providence, Rhode Island, was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 24, 1944. The War Department subsequently issued a finding of death on Nov. 25, 1945. He will be buried in Exeter, Rhode Island, on July 30, 2023. Read about Thomas https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/3440153/soldier-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-thomas-g/.
--Army Pvt. J.C. Brooks, 19, of Rockfield, Kentucky, was a member of Company I, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on Aug. 1, 1943. He will be buried in Cecilia, Kentucky, on September 24, 2023. Read about Brooks https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/3174274/soldier-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-brooks-jc/.
--Air Force Capt. Frederick M. Hall, 25, of Waynesville, North Carolina, was assigned to 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 336th Tactical Fighter Wing. He was navigator on an F-4D Phantom II that went missing on April 12, 1969. He will be buried in his hometown on Oct. 10, 2023. Read about Hall https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/3355818/airman-accounted-for-from-vietnam-war-hall-f/.
--Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Paul W. Schmidt, 20, of Rockville Center, New York, was assigned to 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 8th Air Force. His F-6D went missing during an attack on March 23, 1945. The War Department subsequently issued a presumptive finding of death on March 24, 1946. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on a date to be determined. Read about Schmidt https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/3178832/pilot-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-schmidt-p/.