US Army returns to take fallen soldiers home

By MARJORIE FINKEO
AN earnest search and recovery of missing American soldiers in Papua New Guinea during World War 2 will start on Friday next week. The six-week mission will be carried out in Gulf, East Sepik and Morobe by four US Army units.
US Rear Admiral Jon Freitz told a media conference in Port Moresby that more than 3000 soldiers fought in PNG during the war and bodies of those who died were left in the country.
Now, the army has decided to conduct a search with the help of coastal villagers and communities to retrieve any evidence and their remains and take them back to their families.
“The Papua New Guinea government has helped us in assisting our search in the country with the long history we have with you,” Freitz said.
The places where work is to be carried out are the Department of Defence for Prisoners of War or Missing in Action (POW/MIA), accounting agency (DPAA), Sanananda and Buna villages in Northern, Kove village in Gulf, Port Moresby, Simpson Harbour in East New Britain, New Hanover in New Ireland and Tol village in Pomio, East New Britain.
DPAA relies on key partners to help locate and find the missing.
Freitz said many soldiers will be in PNG until June 10. “Bring them back home, identify them and return them to their families,” he said. “It is more like humanitarian work.”
Mission commander Captain Justine Harty said 25 personnel would be deployed to provinces first to start the mission while others in specific units would join later.