Navy Boilermaker 1st Class William E. Blanchard, USS Oklahoma, others killed in WWII, have been accounted for

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Boilermaker 1st Class William E. Blanchard, 24, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Jan. 4, 2021.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Blanchard was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Blanchard.

Defense POW/ MIA office works tirelessly to bring closure to those killed in combat. The updates:

MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced one burial update and five new identifications for service members who have been missing and unaccounted-for from World War II and Korea. Returning home for burial with full military honors are:

— Army Cpl. Paul W. Wilkins, 19, 

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that Army Cpl. Paul W. Wilkins, 19, of Bellwood, Pennsylvania, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Oct. 30, 2020.

In July 1950, Wilkins was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on July 11 when his unit was fighting enemy forces near Choch’iwan, South Korea. He was never found, nor were any remains recovered that could be identified as Wilkins. The Army declared a presumptive finding of death for Wilkins on Dec. 31, 1953, and he was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.

On Oct. 4, 1950, U.S. forces buried an unidentified set of remains, designated Unknown X-113 Taejon, in United Nations Military Cemetery Taejon. There was no record or information as to the recovery location or identity of these remains. After multiple attempts to identify X-113, the remains were deemed unidentifiable, and were sent to Hawaii where they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl.

In July 2018, DPAA historians and anthropologists proposed a plan to disinter and identify the 652 Korean War unknown burials from the Punchbowl, including 53 recovered from the Taejon area. X-113 was disinterred July 1, 2019, as part of the Korean War Identification Project, and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. 

To identify Wilkins’ remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph comparison. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.

Wilkins’ name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

— Navy Fireman 1st Class James W. Davenport, Jr., 21, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Davenport. Interment services are pending. Read about Davenport.
— Navy Ship’s Cook 3rd Class Robert Goodwin, 20, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Goodwin. Interment services are pending. Read about Goodwin.
— Navy Seaman 2nd Class David Clark, Jr., 18, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Clark. Interment services are pending. Read about Clark.
— Navy Boilermaker 1st Class William E. Blanchard, 24, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Blanchard. Interment services are pending. Read about Blanchard.
— Navy Seaman 1st Class Wallace G. Mitchell, 20, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Mitchell. Interment services are pending. Read about Mitchell.