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CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
WWII pilot accounted for 82 years after being credited with saving airman's life in deadly crash
A World War II pilot who was remembered for helping fellow servicemembers survive the plane crash that killed him has been accounted for, military officials said this week. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook, 23, of Georgetown, Texas, was a member of the 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force during World War II, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a news release. Before joining the military, McCook had graduated from Southwestern University and came from a family of pilots, according to local newspaper clippings gathered by the DPAA. McCook, nicknamed "Woody," served in China and Burma, according to newspaper clippings. He was one of 20 officers and enlisted men credited for a mission that air-dropped supplies to Allied forces battling Japanese troops in northern Burma. During his service, McCook received the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross, according to newspaper clippings. On August 3, 1943, McCook was the armor-gunner on the B-25C "Mitchell," conducting a low-altitude bombing raid over Meiktila, Burma, the DPAA said. The raid was meant to target the Meiktila dam and nearby Japanese barracks, according to a newspaper clipping. 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency The aircraft crashed during the mission. McCook and three others aboard the plane died, but two men survived. One of the survivors, identified in newspaper clippings as Sgt. John Boyd, said the plane had been hit by an explosive gas shell while flying at a low altitude. McCook, who Boyd recalled "as the best in the business," was able to bring the damaged plane up to an altitude that allowed Boyd and the other surviving soldier to parachute from the craft before it crashed. Boyd said this action allowed him to survive. He and the other soldier were taken captive by Japanese forces, the DPAA said. Boyd spent two years as a prisoner in Rangoon before he was freed, according to newspaper clippings. McCook's remains were not recovered. He was eventually listed as missing in action. In 1947, after World War II ended, the American Grave Registration Service recovered four sets of remains from a common grave near a village in Burma, the DPAA said. A newspaper clipping describing 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook's heroic actions before the crash that took his life. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Locals said the four sets of remains, designated X-282A-D, were from an "American crash," the DPAA said. But the remains were not identified at the time. They were interred as "Unknowns" at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, or the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii. McCook's name was listed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. In January 2022, the DPAA disinterred all four sets of remains and taken to the agency's laboratory. Dental, anthropological and isotope analyses were conducted. Other military agencies used mitochondrial DNA analysis and genome sequencing data to help identify the remains. The processes allowed the DPAA to identify one of the sets of remains as belonging to McCook. Now that McCook has been accounted for, a rosette has been placed next to his name on the Walls of the Missing. He will be buried in his hometown in August 2025, the DPAA said.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Remains of U.S. Army Corporal considered MIA for decades, returning to STL
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Creve Coeur resident Dennis Carrino recalls how his family would wonder what happened to his uncle. 'They thought about him all the time,' he said. U.S. Army Cpl., 18-year-old Frederck Carrino, had been considered MIA following a Korean War battle in 1950. Late last year, the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Carrino's remains had been accounted for. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now His remains are scheduled to return to St. Louis this week. Shepard Funeral Chapel in St. John is handling the arrangements. Carrino will be buried with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. 'It means a lot to me and the rest of our family for sure,' said Carrino. His wife, Mary Beth Carrino, said, 'We were absolutely shocked at how many people were involved, and they do this every day, you know, continue to look for all the lost soldiers.' The Flagman's Mission Continues is an area organization that uses American flags to help pay tribute to service members who made the ultimate sacrifice. The agency is looking for volunteers to help set up flags outside the funeral home prior to Carrino's services and remove them after his funeral. Interested volunteers are asked to arrive at 9255 Natural Bridge Rd., St. John, MO 63134 at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, to help put flags in place and to arrive at the same location on Friday, May 16, at 4 p.m. to remove them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
WWII soldier from Cleveland identified 80 years after crash
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has now accounted for a Cleveland soldier killed during World War II. According to an announcement, U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Robert T. McCollum, 22, was officially accounted for on Dec. 10, 2024. His family received a briefing on the identification process, allowing for the release of further details. McCollum served in the 565th Bombardment Squadron, part of the 389th Bombardment Group, during the European Theater in June 1944. On June 20, he was the bombardier on a B-24J 'Liberator' bomber that went missing after crashing into the Baltic Sea near Denmark. The crash occurred when McCollum's plane collided with another B-24 in the same formation. While the pilot and co-pilot managed to bail out and survive, it is believed that the rest of the crew perished in the incident. The U.S. War Department declared McCollum dead on June 21, 1945. In early 1948, the American Graves Registration Command investigated the crash but was unable to recover any of the missing crew members. Over the years, the AGRC assessed unidentified remains that washed ashore in the crash area but could not identify any of the crew. McCollum was declared non-recoverable on May 12, 1950. In 2019, Danish divers discovered a WWII-era aircraft wreck in the vicinity of McCollum's crash site. They recovered a .50 caliber machine gun with a serial number that partially matched the guns on McCollum's aircraft. In August 2021, after the Royal Danish Navy cleared the site of unexploded ordnance, a team from the University of Delaware and the Royal Danish Navy conducted an underwater survey. This survey uncovered possible human remains and prompted an archaeological excavation. From Sept. 21 to Oct. 11, 2022, a team including Trident Archäologie and Wessex Archaeology recovered remains and material evidence from the site, including ID tags of two crew members. More work took place from Sept. 4-23, 2023, and May 18 to June 9, 2024, leading to additional findings. All evidence was sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis. To confirm McCollum's identity, scientists employed dental and anthropological analysis, along with mitochondrial and autosomal DNA testing. McCollum's name is inscribed on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery in England. A rosette will be placed next to his name to signify his accounting. McCollum will be buried in San Jose, California, on a future date. This story was created by Jane Imbody, jimbody@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Cleveland soldier killed in WWII officially accounted for
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
St. Louisan Korean War veteran accounted for after 73 years MIA
ST. LOUIS – It was announced Tuesday that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency had accounted for a St. Louis native Korean War veteran last year after going missing in action over 70 years ago. Officials identified the veteran as 29-year-old U.S. Army Sgt. 1st class Walter Archie Ross Jr. last June. He went unaccounted for on Feb. 14, 1951, when his unit entered in the Chinese Communist Forces in South Korea and were ultimately overran, according to a release. Five years later, in January 1956, Ross was still unaccounted for and deemed nonrecoverable. Decades later in 1994, the U.S. received remains of 14 individuals from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea government, believed to be service members. Among those 14, three of them were remains from Suan County in North Korea, which is the area surrounding where Ross was last accounted for. Sam's Steakhouse employees indicted for $1.4M fraud scheme It was determined that Ross died in captivity in April 1951 at the Suan POW Camp Complex in North Korea suffering from dysentery. Following extensive testing for identification through dental and anthropological information in addition to chest radiographs and other evidence, scientists identified one of the remains as Ross. Ross will be buried in his home state of Missouri. A date for his burial has not been scheduled yet. A rosette will be placed next to Ross' name at the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl in Honolulu, Hawaii, signifying him being accounted for. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Military launches new effort to ID unknown soldiers from West Loch Disaster
AUSTIN BOUCHER / U.S. ARMY / OCT. 7 Members of the Defense POW /MIA Accounting Agency walk beside a casket during a disinterment ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. At least 163 people were killed and 396 injured in a series of explosions triggered by an accident that occurred while troops loaded weapons and munitions onto amphibious landing ships at the West Loch peninsula of Pearl Harbor. 1 /4 AUSTIN BOUCHER / U.S. ARMY / OCT. 7 Members of the Defense POW /MIA Accounting Agency walk beside a casket during a disinterment ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. At least 163 people were killed and 396 injured in a series of explosions triggered by an accident that occurred while troops loaded weapons and munitions onto amphibious landing ships at the West Loch peninsula of Pearl Harbor. ARIEL OWINGS / U.S. AIR FORCE / NOV. 4 U.S. service members from the Defense POW /MIA Accounting Agency participate in a disinterment ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Eight sets of remains were disinterred as part of the West Loch Project, an ongoing effort to identify service members who died in the West Loch Disaster during World War II. 2 /4 ARIEL OWINGS / U.S. AIR FORCE / NOV. 4 U.S. service members from the Defense POW /MIA Accounting Agency participate in a disinterment ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Eight sets of remains were disinterred as part of the West Loch Project, an ongoing effort to identify service members who died in the West Loch Disaster during World War II. U.S. NATIONAL ARCHIVES / 1944 Above, billowing black smoke from the disaster could be seen for days. 3 /4 U.S. NATIONAL ARCHIVES / 1944 Above, billowing black smoke from the disaster could be seen for days. STAR-ADVERTISER / 2019 An escort boat cruises past wreckage of LST 480 in Walker Bay at Hanaloa Point during the 75th-anniversary observance of the May 1944 West Loch Disaster, when 34 amphibious landing ships were clumped together and being loaded with weapons and munitions when a chain-reaction explosion occurred. 4 /4 STAR-ADVERTISER / 2019 An escort boat cruises past wreckage of LST 480 in Walker Bay at Hanaloa Point during the 75th-anniversary observance of the May 1944 West Loch Disaster, when 34 amphibious landing ships were clumped together and being loaded with weapons and munitions when a chain-reaction explosion occurred. AUSTIN BOUCHER / U.S. ARMY / OCT. 7 Members of the Defense POW /MIA Accounting Agency walk beside a casket during a disinterment ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. At least 163 people were killed and 396 injured in a series of explosions triggered by an accident that occurred while troops loaded weapons and munitions onto amphibious landing ships at the West Loch peninsula of Pearl Harbor. ARIEL OWINGS / U.S. AIR FORCE / NOV. 4 U.S. service members from the Defense POW /MIA Accounting Agency participate in a disinterment ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Eight sets of remains were disinterred as part of the West Loch Project, an ongoing effort to identify service members who died in the West Loch Disaster during World War II. U.S. NATIONAL ARCHIVES / 1944 Above, billowing black smoke from the disaster could be seen for days. STAR-ADVERTISER / 2019 An escort boat cruises past wreckage of LST 480 in Walker Bay at Hanaloa Point during the 75th-anniversary observance of the May 1944 West Loch Disaster, when 34 amphibious landing ships were clumped together and being loaded with weapons and munitions when a chain-reaction explosion occurred. The U.S. military is working on a new effort to identify the remains of service members killed in the infamous World War II-era West Loch Disaster. On May 21, 1944, as American troops prepared for the invasion of Japanese-occupied Saipan in the Northern Marianas, a series of explosions in West Loch killed at least 163 people and injured 396, though some historians have alleged that shoddy record keeping by military officials in a rush to keep the operation on track may have left more uncounted. The Oahu-based Defense Prisoner of War /Missing in Action Accounting Agency began exhuming the remains of unidentified victims of the disaster in October and disinterred the last eight Jan. 27. In the aftermath of the carnage, 50 of the bodies recovered were identified using a mixture of dog tags found with them and dental records, while about 49 other bodies recovered from the wreckage were buried as 'unknowns ' at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl Crater—or so it was thought. The violent explosions blew bodies apart, making it difficult to properly sort the remains. 'We see a lot of commingling within these sets, so multiple individuals or bones of multiple individuals are mixed together, ' said Reshma Satish, the lead anthropologist working on the project. 'I've been doing a lot of the analyses on these cases, and I have not actually had a single case that's been one person.' With the list of dead greater than the number buried, the graves at Punchbowl might actually contain far more people than believed. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. The DPAA, which is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, conducts operations across the globe to find and identify missing American service members. The West Loch Disaster has always been an area of interest, but there were deep doubts about actually being able to identify the dead. Jennie Jin, DPAA's special projects manager, explained, 'We learned in the late'90s that a lot of remains buried at Punchbowl, they do not yield DNA very well.' At first they didn't understand why bodies and bone fragments found on far-flung battlefields and exposed to the elements for decades yielded DNA while better -preserved remains in Punchbowl didn't. They ultimately learned that many WWII and Korean War dead had been treated with chemicals to mask the smell of death as they were being transported for burial. 'Bone is organic and inorganic, so it killed all the organic part and that's why it's so beautifully preserved with all the inorganic parts left, ' Jin said. 'So when West Loch came on our historians' radar, we were like, 'Should we do this or not ?' 'It means a lot here, especially because it's local and it was kept as a classified disaster for a long time, right ? So it means a lot. But can we make IDs ?' It's a serious matter to exhume the dead after they've already been buried. But in October 2016, DPAA dug up one of the unidentified dead from the West Loch Disaster and found the remains actually did have strong DNA readings. The agency determined that because the bodies had been recovered and buried locally rather than shipped back from a distant battlefield, the military hadn't felt the need to chemically treat them to alleviate the smell. But while they found DNA readings, there was nothing to actually match them to. Those remains are still unidentified. 'If we don't have anybody, any family members, to compare the DNA results to, there's no point of doing it, ' Jin said. 'So after 2016 was successful—it successfully used the DNA—we reached out. We, DPAA internally, decided to make this a project that we want to pursue.' DPAA staff have been contacting families to collect DNA samples and other information. Beyond DNA samples, they are also looking at the medical records of those listed as killed in the explosion. For instance, Satish explained that near the end of World War II and during the Korean War, soldiers were required to get X-rays of their chest as part of tuberculosis screenings, records DPAA has used in other cases to identify dead service members. But even with new resources and resolve, it will be a challenge. 'Just the nature of the disaster, we're going to see a lot of bones with burning, ' Satish explained. 'There are things that we can't really assess as well as a result of these explosions, because it wasn't even just like it (happened ) on one ship.' The West Loch Disaster has sometimes been called a 'second Pearl Harbor, ' a tragedy that military leaders at the time wanted the public to ignore—and to forget. On May 21, 1944, sailors, Marines and soldiers were working on several vessels docked at West Loch loading weapons and munitions onto amphibious landing ships known as LSTs. Troops loaded supplies onto the boats throughout the day, but at 3 :08 p.m. something caused an explosion aboard LST-353 near its bow. The blast killed service members on board and flung burning debris onto nearby vessels, where it ignited fuel and munitions stored on their decks and setting off an explosive and deadly chain reaction. Some vessels managed to navigate their way to safety, while others were abandoned and allowed to drift in the channel leaking oil. The oil spread across the water and caught fire, igniting piers and the shoreline. The fires raged for more than 24 hours before more tugboats and salvage ships from Pearl Harbor managed to contain the spreading fires. In the end, explosions and airborne debris destroyed six LSTs. In the immediate aftermath, the military ordered a press blackout, even though the sounds of the explosions rang out loudly in the surrounding area and billowing smoke could be seen far and wide for days. Four days after the incident, officials released a notice telling the public simply that an explosion had occurred causing 'some loss of life, a number of injuries and resulted in the destruction of several small vessels.' Those who survived were ordered not to mention the disaster in letters home or to even speak of it. The official investigation determined that the most likely cause of the explosion was mishandled munitions, probably a service member dropping a mortar round and causing a chain reaction. About a third of the casualties that day were Black members of the Army's segregated 29th Chemical Decontamination Company. During the war, Black serv ice members were often assigned menial but sometimes hazardous tasks that white troops didn't want to perform. Two months after the West Loch Disaster, another munitions-loading accident at Port Chicago in California caused explosions that killed 320 sailors and wounded 390, most of them Black. A month later Black sailors at Port Chicago mutinied due to continued unsafe conditions. The West Loch and Port Chicago disasters forced the Navy to change the way it handled munitions, and ultimately played a role in spurring the military to begin desegregating its ranks. But the West Loch Disaster would remain secret until the military finally declassified all files on the incident in 1962. Now, more than 80 years later after the tragedy, DPAA is navigating all the records and samples it can get a hold of to match the dead recovered from West Loch to the names of the men who were there. 'It is an absolutely amazing feeling to be able to do this, ' Satish said. 'I mean, some of these families, they've been waiting for eight decades at this point, right ? So to be able to provide them with answers and be able to give them—even if it's not all of their service member, even if it's like a couple of bones—I think that's really meaningful.'
