Military labs place fallen soldiers
A World War II aviator who was remembered for helping chap servicemembers past the level clang that killed him has been accounted for, subject officials said this week.
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook, 23, of Georgetown, Texas, was a subordinate of the 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force during World War II, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said successful a quality release. Before joining the military, McCook had graduated from Southwestern University and came from a household of pilots, according to section paper clippings gathered by the DPAA.
McCook, nicknamed "Woody," served successful China and Burma, according to paper clippings. He was 1 of 20 officers and enlisted men credited for a ngo that air-dropped supplies to Allied forces battling Japanese troops successful bluish Burma. During his service, McCook received the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross, according to paper clippings.
On August 3, 1943, McCook was the armor-gunner connected the B-25C "Mitchell," conducting a low-altitude bombing raid implicit Meiktila, Burma, the DPAA said. The raid was meant to people the Meiktila dam and adjacent Japanese barracks, according to a paper clipping.
1st Lt. Charles W. McCook.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
The craft crashed during the mission. McCook and 3 others aboard the level died, but 2 men survived. One of the survivors, identified successful paper clippings arsenic Sgt. John Boyd, said the level had been deed by an explosive state ammunition portion flying astatine a debased altitude. McCook, who Boyd recalled "as the champion successful the business," was capable to bring the damaged level up to an altitude that allowed Boyd and the different surviving worker to parachute from the trade earlier it crashed.
Boyd said this enactment allowed him to survive. He and the different worker were taken captive by Japanese forces, the DPAA said. Boyd spent 2 years arsenic a captive successful Rangoon earlier helium was freed, according to paper clippings.
McCook's remains were not recovered. He was yet listed arsenic missing successful action. In 1947, aft World War II ended, the American Grave Registration Service recovered 4 sets of remains from a communal sedate adjacent a colony successful Burma, the DPAA said.
A paper clipping describing 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook's heroic actions earlier the clang that took his life.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Locals said the 4 sets of remains, designated X-282A-D, were from an "American crash," the DPAA said. But the remains were not identified astatine the time. They were interred arsenic "Unknowns" astatine the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, oregon the Punchbowl, successful Honolulu, Hawaii. McCook's sanction was listed connected the Walls of the Missing astatine the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial successful the Philippines.
In January 2022, the DPAA disinterred each 4 sets of remains and taken to the agency's laboratory. Dental, anthropological and isotope analyses were conducted. Other subject agencies utilized mitochondrial DNA investigation and genome sequencing information to assistance place the remains. The processes allowed the DPAA to place 1 of the sets of remains arsenic belonging to McCook.
Now that McCook has been accounted for, a rosette has been placed adjacent to his sanction connected the Walls of the Missing. He volition beryllium buried successful his hometown successful August 2025, the DPAA said.
Kerry Breen is simply a quality exertion astatine CBSNews.com. A postgraduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she antecedently worked astatine NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers existent events, breaking quality and issues including substance use.
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