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A Sacred Search in Germany

On a small plot of farmland in northern Germany, U.S. service members and civilians are working to recover the remains of airmen lost during World War II.

Two soldiers wear gloves while handling dirt on a wet-screening device.
Wet Screening
Army Sgt. 1st Class Mike Chilcote, right, and Cpl. Nicolas Callow wet-screen dirt during a recovery mission in Wistedt, Germany, Aug. 28, 2023.
Credit: Marine Corps Sgt. Jack A.E. Rigsby
VIRIN: 230828-M-CR240-1003R
An airman wearing a waterproof suit throws mud with a shovel while standing in a pond with a wooden structure in the background.
Muddy Mission
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Andrew Thomas, a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency explosive ordnance disposal technician, clears mud from a retention pond during a recovery mission in Wistedt, Germany, Aug. 28, 2023. DPAA personnel conducted an excavation operation to find a U.S. aircraft crew lost over Germany during World War II.
Credit: Marine Corps Sgt. Jack A. E. Rigsby
VIRIN: 230828-M-CR240-1001M

Their work can be messy, but their mission is sacred: The 25-member team is with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which is dedicated to fulfilling the nation's promise to leave no service member behind. The agency searches in 45 nations for missing U.S. service members from past conflicts.

An airman hammers nails in a wood beam overhead.
Hammer Time
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jayme Steffen, an armament systems specialist assigned to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, sets up a dry screen during a recovery mission in Wistedt, Germany, Aug. 18, 2023.
Credit: Marine Corps Sgt. Jack A.E. Rigsby
VIRIN: 230818-M-CR240-1002R
People examine excavated material in a screen.
Excavation Operation
U.S. military personnel and civilians assigned to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency sort through debris during recovery operations during a mission in northern Germany, Aug. 3, 2023. DPAA personnel conducted an excavation operation in an effort to find a U.S. aircraft crew lost over Germany during World War II.
Credit: Marine Corps Sgt. Jack A. E. Rigsby
VIRIN: 230803-M-CR240-1002Y
A Marine sweeps an outdoor dirt plot.
Clean Sweep
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Matthew Sponagle, an explosive ordnance disposal technician assigned to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, conducts recovery operations during a recovery mission in Wistedt, Germany, Sept. 12, 2023.
Credit: Marine Corps Sgt. Jack A.E. Rigsby
VIRIN: 230912-M-CR240-1003R

This team is in Wistedt, Germany, searching for remains from members of a 10-person flight crew of a B-24H Liberator last seen returning from a bombing run. It was presumed shot down, with the loss of all crew members.

Recovery efforts began last month. Already, the team has recovered parts of the aircraft and personal effects of the airmen.

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