23 May 1944
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 571-10
Seven Missing WWII Airmen Identified
The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of seven servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
Army Captain Joseph M. Olbinski, Chicago; First Lieuetnant Joseph J. Auld, Floral Park, New York; First Lieuenant Robert M. Anderson, Millen, Georgia; Technical Sergeant. Clarence E. Frantz, Tyrone, Pennsylvania; Private First Class Richard M. Dawson, Haynesville, Virginia; Private Robert L. Crane, Sacramento, California; and Private. Fred G. Fagan, Piedmont, Alabama, were identified and all are to be interred July 15, 2010, in Arlington National Cemetery.
On May 23, 1944, the men were aboard a C-47A Skytrain that departed Dinjan, India, on an airdrop mission to resupply Allied forces near Myitkyina, Burma. When the crew failed to return, air and ground searches found no evidence of the aircraft along the intended flight path.
In late 2002, a missionary provided U.S. officials a data plate from a C-47 crash site approximately 31 miles northwest of Myitkyina. In 2003, a Burmese citizen turned over human remains and identification tags for three of the crew members.
A Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command team excavated the crash site in 2003 and 2004, recovering additional remains and crew-related equipment—including an identification tag for Dawson.
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 some of the crewmembers’ families – as well as dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site.
Seven WWII Airmen buried at Arlington National Cemetery
The remains of seven Airmen missing in action from World War II were buried July 15, 2010, at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
The Airmen are Captain Joseph M. Olbinski, Chicago; First Lieutenant Joseph J. Auld, Floral Park, New York; First Lieutenant Robert M. Anderson, Millen, Georgia; Technical Sergeant Clarence E. Frantz, Tyrone, Pennsylvania; Private First Class Richard M. Dawson, Haynesville, Virginia; Private Robert L. Crane, Sacramento, California; and Private. Fred G. Fagan, Piedmont, Alabama; all U.S. Army Air Forces.
According to information provided by the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, the Airmen were aboard a C-47A Skytrain that departed Dinjan, India, May 23, 1944, on an airdrop mission to resupply Allied forces near Myitkyina, Burma. When the crew failed to return, air and ground searches found no evidence of the aircraft along the intended flight path.
Fifty-eight years later, a missionary provided U.S. officials a data plate from a C-47 crash site, located approximately 31 miles northwest of Myitkyina. And in 2003, a Burmese citizen turned over human remains and identification tags for three of the crewmembers.
A Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command team excavated the crash site in 2003 and 2004, recovering remains and equipment. 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 mitochondrial DNA, which matched some of the crewmembers' families, as well as dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
Two caskets were used. Lieutenant Auld's remains were individually identified and buried separately in a gravesite adjacent to a group burial site for all of the others. Another casket contained remains that were positively identified to be Anderson along with co-mingled group remains that could not be individually identified. A marker with the names of all crewmembers will be placed at the gravesite.
Family members from six of the seven Airmen were present for internment that took place in Section 60, an active burial section of Arlington National Cemetery. The section is approximately two-thirds full, with burials taking place there almost daily. Veterans from many different eras, including World War II, Korea and Vietnam, are buried in this section, alongside the servicemembers killed in the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Regiment Old Guard carry the casket containing the co-mingled remains of
Private Robert Crane, Private First Class Richard M. Dawson, Private Fred G. Fagan, Technical Sergeant Clarence E. Frantz,
Captain Joseph M. Oblinski, and Lieutenant Robert M. Anderson, at Arlington National Cemetery,Thursday, July 15, 2010.
Edwin Oblinski, brother of Captain Joseph M. Oblinski, holds the flag from the casket during Oblinski's
burial service at Arlington National Cemetery, Thursday, July 15, 2010.
Dr. Winston Fagan, nephew of Private Fred Fagan, holds the flag from the casket during Fagan's
burial service at Arlington National Cemetery, Thursday, July 15, 2010
Donna Peterson, niece of Private Robert Crane, receives the flag from the casket from Chaplain Gino Hernandez
during Crane's burial service at Arlington National Cemetery, Thursday, July 15, 2010
Robert Frantz, brother of Sergeant Clarence E. Frantz, receives the flag from the casket from Chaplain Gino
Hernandez during Frantz's burial service at Arlington National Cemetery, Thursday, July 15, 2010
Christine King, sister of Private First Class. Richard M. Dawson, receives the flag from the casket from Chaplain
John Gabriel during Dawson's burial service at Arlington National Cemetery, Thursday, July 15, 2010
Dr. Virginia Doolittle, cousin of Lieutenant Joseph J. Auld, receives the flag from the casket from Chaplain John
Gabriel during Auld's burial service at Arlington National Cemetery, Thursday, July 15, 2010
AULD, JOSEPH J
1LT US ARMY
DATE OF BIRTH: 09/22/1918
DATE OF DEATH: 05/23/1944
BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 9558
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
AULD, JOSEPH J
1LT US ARMY
WORLD WAR II
DATE OF BIRTH: 09/22/1918
DATE OF DEATH: 05/23/1944
BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 9557
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
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Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard