There was a full military funeral Saturday for Army PFC Harold K. Knight. Knight was born in Oil City on June 20, 1930. He enlisted in the military on May 31, 1949. He was killed in action Nov. 25, 1950, during a battle in North Korea near the Chosin Reservoir. He was assigned to Headquarters Company 31st Infantry, 31st Regiment Combat Team. After the battle, for several days his body could not be recovered. Knights remains were repatriated following a summit in 2018 when 55 boxes of U.S. soldiers’ remains were handed over to the U.S. Department Of Defense from the Korean Peoples Army. DNA analysis was completed to identify his remains. He was buried Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Heckathorn Cemetery in Seneca. He is survived by two sisters and a brother, as well as several nieces and nephews, who had never met him, but grew up knowing that their Uncle Harold was a war hero.
Identifying Remains
So what can you do if you have a relative still not accounted for from past wars? You can give a DNA sample so they can be accounted for like PFC Knight who has been missing in action for over 50 years. You will need the following information: your relation to the veteran, branch of service, estimate of location serving, and military ID number. The phone numbers to call for each branch are: Army (800) 892-2490; Marine Corps (800) 847-1597; Navy (800) 443-9298; Air Force (800) 531-5501; Department of State (202) 485-6106. They will send you a kit to do the DNA sample in your home, then return the sample. Do not let there remains be left sitting on a shelf. They deserve a final resting place and a full military funeral.
VFW-Supported Mental Health Bill Becomes Law
The VFW-supported version of S. 785, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019, was signed into law last Saturday. This law supports VA as it continues to make improvements to veterans’ mental health care by covering a strategic plan for veterans transitioning from active duty, pilot programs integrating alternative therapies, establishing a VA and DOD clinical provider treatment toolkit, improving care and services for women veterans, and expanding the mental health medical workforce.
National Suicide Hotline Bill Becomes Law
Last Saturday, S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, was signed into law. This legislation designates 9-8-8 as the telephone number for the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. The existing hotline, which can be reached by dialing (800) 273-8255, is operated by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and through the Veterans Crisis Line. Both hotlines offer confidential support from qualified responders 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Many of the responders with the Veterans Crisis Line are veterans themselves.
Monument Honoring Women in the Military Unveiled
Last Saturday, the Washington, D.C., area’s first monument to honor women in the military was unveiled at the Women in Military Service for American Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. “The Pledge,” sculpted by Susan Bahary, is a bronze statue of a kneeling service woman in full combat gear, locking eyes with her working military dog, meant to honor the promise of loyalty made between a soldier and their combat dog in faithful allegiance to our county. Following the unveiling, Sgt. Britany Gavit stated, “I’ve been a dog handler for four years now, and to see a female statute for the first time, it feels great … She could be any one of us, in any rank of the military, and it’s so significant.”
POW/MIA Update of WWII Veterans
Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Earl W. Smith, 22, of Oakland, California, was a pilot assigned to the 80th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force. On Aug. 20, 1943, Smith was piloting a P-38 Lightning fighter on a test flight and crashed. Smith will be buried Aug. 20, 2021, at a location yet to be determined.
Navy Seaman 2nd Class James M. Flanagan, 22, of Jacksonville, Florida, 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. Flanagan will be buried on Nov. 6, 2020, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Navy Seaman 2nd Class D.T. Kyser, 18, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. The date and location for Kyser’s burial have yet to be decided by the family.
Navy Fireman 3rd Class William L. Barnett, 21, was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Interment services are pending.
Navy Shipfitter 1st Class Charles F. Perdue, 32, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Interment services are pending.
Navy Fireman 1st Class Edward D. Johnson, 24, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Interment services are pending.
Navy Ship’s Cook 1st Class Rodger C. Butts, 47, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Interment services are pending.
Till next week, praying for all.
– Charles Castelluccio
