Memorial Day 2021

It has been almost Seventy Seven Years…

S/Sgt     Ralph H Bode, Tailgunner
2nd Lt     Robert N Hansen, Pilot
T/Sgt     Charles C Palmer,  Engineer/TTGunner
2nd Lt     Pile M Porter,  Navigator
T/Sgt     James M Triplett, Radio Operator
1st Lt      Ed Hautman, Pilot
S/Sgt     John Tarbert , Waist Gunner
1st Lt      Raymond Ische, Navigator

Eight young men, Eight Kassel Mission heroes, Eight souls that are still Missing in Action. MIA’s whose families never really got closure on their boys. One can only imagine the sorrow and  anguish of losing a loved one in an overseas conflict and the additional grief, certainly magnified, for the families of MIA’s.   Purple Hearts, Air Medals, Distinguished Flying Crosses among other awards, meaningful and earned by these young men, but still missing something very important to their legacy – closure.  This too, is the meaning behind Memorial Day.

As of April 30, 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), there were more than 72,000 U.S. servicemen and civilians unaccounted for from World War II.  The search and efforts to identify and recover continues through various public and private agencies in conjunction with the DPAA whose mission is to recover US military personnel listed as missing in action.  The challenges are many – physical to political – but the science behind confirming recovery continues to advance. Mitochondrial DNA obtained from bone and dental samples are among the many forensic tools utilized and advancing the cause.  Let us all hope on this Memorial Day that those organizations continue to progress forward in their mission.

The Board of KMHS and several energetic members have been doing their part to help in similar efforts for our 8 Kassel Mission men MIA’s.   There has been significant activity this last year as we seek to help in the identification and the possibilities of recovery.   I would like to “salute” the tireless efforts of Linda Dewey who has taken the task on working closely with key resources – Danny Keay, Conflict Archaeologist ( based in Germany)  and Robert Rumsby, MIA Recovery Network ( based in the US).  All  have been incredibly dedicated and unselfish in their time and efforts to help.  Linda’s expertise and knowledge on the Kassel Mission with Danny and Rob’s similar expertise in their respective fields have been instrumental on how best to navigate the respective government departments in the US and Germany.  Special thanks, as well, to many members of the Raymond Ische family, also instrumental in our efforts.   We all very much appreciate your special contributions to a wonderful cause!

As we celebrate Memorial Day with our families and friends, we should pause to recognize all  who have sacrificed for our lives, our liberty and  our pursuit of happiness.  We should pay special tribute to all MIA’s and their families and hope that someday they, too, will have closure.  For our 8 heroes and their families, every day is Memorial Day.

All the best,

Jim Bertram
President, KMHS