US Army Dept of Past Conflicts - WW2

[TheNewGirl 1,547]

Have you ever gotten a call from these guys? 

I got one recently regarding a cousin who was MIA from WW2, believed to have been in the Bataan Death March. 

I guess they may have found something indicating that he was there? I've no idea, but it was an interesting call. 

 

[Strike 5,770]

I have never heard of this department.  Interesting. 

[TheNewGirl 1,547]

3 minutes ago, Strike said:

I have never heard of this department.  Interesting. 

https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/The Past Conflict Repatriations Branch is an organization under the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division (CMAOD)

Quote

Our primary mission is to collect, assess, integrate and distribute to the next of kin and other government agencies information relating to Soldiers who remain "unaccounted-for" from World War II, the Korean, and the Vietnam War. We maintain contact with family members through phone calls, written and email correspondence, in person at Family Member Updates, and during Annual Government Briefings (Korea and Southeast Asia only). We are also responsible for implementing legislation, maintaining case files for unaccounted-for Soldiers and for briefing family members when an identification is made.

 

[seafoam1 3,232]

If these are them this is the name of the group: U.S. Army's Past Conflicts Repatriation Branch

[Strike 5,770]

1 minute ago, TheNewGirl said:

https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/The Past Conflict Repatriations Branch is an organization under the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division (CMAOD)

 

That's awesome.   Good to know we do that.  An actual useful agency in government.  Never Forget. 

[weepaws 3,237]

Wow, that’s great. 

[TheNewGirl 1,547]

Thought I'd follow up. 

I returned the phone call I got from this dept and basically they are contracted through companies like Ancestry.com and use family trees to find next of kin.  She's contacted several relatives out on the maternal and paternal sides of this cousin, he's my 1st cousin twice removed but there are quite a few family members closer to him that have passed away. 

They asked if I'd like to submit a DNA sample (cheek swabs), and then also provided me with any correspondence about him back from 1942 when he was captured as a POW in the Philippines. 

I read through the file and it's actually quite sad. They said that he'd died of dysentery, but have no idea where his grave is (hence the need for DNA). There were letters in there informing his mother of his death, the inability to recover his body, and then her letters back to the Army regarding dental records or anything else she could find. Again all heart breaking to read. His mother was my mom's aunt. An only son/child, he was 21. 

 

Would be really wonderful if I was a part of helping to  bring him home.