In Memoriam

[Grace]

1 June 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Spc. Jonathan K. Peney, 22, of Marietta, Ga., died June 1 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he was shot by enemy forces. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga

[Grace]

22 May 1967

Air Force Pilot Missing From Vietnam War Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Air Force Col. Elton L. Perrine of Pittsford, N.Y., was buried last week at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On May 22, 1967, Perrine and Capt. Kenneth F. Backus completed a nighttime strike against the Cao Nung Railroad Yard near the town of Kep in North Vietnam. Seconds after the bomb run, a nearby aircrew reported seeing an isolated explosion approximately three miles east of the target, thought to be Perrine’s F-4C Phantom aircraft crashing. Search and rescue attempts were not initiated due to heavy anti-aircraft fire in the area.

Analysts from DPMO developed case leads with information spanning more than 28 years. Through interviews with eyewitnesses and research in the National Archives, four locations in Lang Son Province were pinpointed as potential crash sites, separated by as many as 10 miles.

Between 1999 and 2008, U.S.-Socialist Republic of Vietnam teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, further analyzed leads, interviewed villagers, conducted two surveys and four excavations. The teams recovered small pieces of aircraft wreckage, human remains, personal effects and life-support equipment from the four locations.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of Perrine’s mother – in the identification of his remains. No remains connected to Backus were recovered at the locations.

[Grace]

2 June 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pvt. Francisco J. Guardado-Ramirez, 21, of Sunland Park, N.M., died June 2 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

[Grace]

Korean War - 1951

Soldier Missing From Korean War Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Master Sgt. Roy E. Head of Clinchport, Va., will be buried Saturday in Duffield, Va. Head was assigned to Headquarters Company, 49th Field Artillery Battalion. After the 1953 armistice, it was learned from surviving POWs that he had been captured in February 1951, marched north to a POW camp in Suan County, North Korea, and died of malnutrition a few months later. Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of remains believed to contain the remains of 200-400 U.S. servicemen. North Korean documents turned over with one of the boxes indicated the remains were exhumed near Suan County. This location correlates with Head’s last known location.

Analysts from DPMO developed case leads with information spanning more than 58 years. Through interviews with surviving POW eyewitnesses, experts validated circumstances surrounding the soldier’s captivity and death, confirming wartime documentation of his loss.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of two of his brothers -- in the identification of the remains.

More than 2,000 servicemen died as prisoners of war during the Korean War. With this accounting, 8,025 service members still remain missing from the conflict.

[Grace]

Denmark

Pvt. Sophia Bruun, 22

Unit: C Kompagniet, Gardehusarregimentet (Company C, Guard Hussar Regiment)
Died: June 1, 2010

Killed when her Piranha personnel carrier was hit by a roadside bomb while on patrol near Patrol Base Bridzar, approximately three miles (six km) northeast of Gereskh in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

[Grace]

Warminster, England

Marine Anthony Dean Hotine


Age: 21
Unit: Company A, 40 Commando, Royal Marines
Died: June 2, 2010

Killed when a roadside bomb detonated while his unit was on patrol with the Afghan National Army near Patrol Base Jamil in the Sangin district of Helmand province, Afghanistan.

[Grace]

4 June 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

1st Lt. Joseph J. Theinert, 24, of Sag Harbor, N.Y., died June 4 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using a rocket propelled grenade and an improvised explosive device. He was a New York Army National Guardsman assigned to 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y