DPAA Identifies Two WWII POWs From Ohio and Michigan

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said on 15 July it has identified the remains of two U.S. Army soldiers who died as prisoners of war during World War II. One set of remains belonged to a serviceman from Cleveland, Ohio, and the other to a soldier from Michigan. The agency confirmed the identifications through anthropological review, dental records and DNA analysis, clearing the way for the men to be returned to their families for burial with full military honors. Both soldiers had been listed as missing since the war, leaving relatives without definitive information for decades. More than 72,000 U.S. service members remain unaccounted for from World War II, according to DPAA. The agency said it continues to prioritize cases with viable DNA reference samples in an effort to provide closure to families.