MIA Update

[USAFE7Ret.]

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

-- Army Pfc. Juan F. Gutierrez, 26, was a member of 200th Coast Artillery Regiment, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December 1941. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942. Interment Services are pending. Read about Gutierrez.
-- Army Master Sgt. James Hart, Jr., 25, of Hopkins, Texas, 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. Hart will be buried June 8, 2021, in Winterfield, Texas. Read about Hart.
-- Army Cpl. Ralph S. Boughman, 21, of Union, South Carolina, was a member of Company B, 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. Boughman will be buried May 15, 2021, in his hometown. Read about Boughman.
-- Army Cpl. David B. Milano, 17, of Chicago, was a member of Company D, 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. Milano will be buried in Ogden, Utah. The date has yet to be determined. Read about Milano.

[RV_]

It is always good news when new identifications help families get closure after decades and lifetimes. Had I been MIA then my parents would never have known today. But my kids and wife would. It is never too late to bring them home. Thanks.