By GEORGINA MICHAEL
MORE than 80 years after they were killed in Papua New Guinea during World War II, the remains of US service members are finally on their way home.
Potential human remains recovered during a recent US-led recovery mission in PNG were formally handed over to the United States at a repatriation ceremony at Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby.
The ceremony, held at the APEC Terminal on September 2, was led by the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), in partnership with the US Embassy, the PNG Government and local agencies.
Speaking on behalf of DPAA Deputy Director Lt. Col. Jeremy Smith, Mission Lead Captain Malachi Sparling said the operation was about keeping faith with families who had waited decades for answers.
“Today’s ceremony is not just a tradition. It is a fulfillment of a promise that no one who serves is ever forgotten,” Sparling said.
The latest recovery mission began in July in East New Britain, with further work carried out in New Ireland in partnership with the University of Wisconsin.
US military personnel, scientific experts and local PNG workers cleared jungle vegetation and screened soil in the search for the missing service members.
The DPAA estimates that about 3,300 US personnel from World War II remain unaccounted for in Papua New Guinea.
“Our search continues without rest. Today, we are bringing our grandfathers home,” Sparling said.
Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture Belden Nama said the repatriation was more than the return of human remains.
“This is the return of sons, brothers, fathers, grandfathers and friends,” Nama said.
He said the recovery and identification work was also about restoring the identity and dignity of the fallen while providing long-awaited answers to their families.
US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Alex Berenberg said the mission reflected the enduring partnership between PNG and the United States.
“We persevere until every hero is brought home,” Berenberg said.
Berenberg said about 340,000 American service members fought alongside Papua New Guineans in the defence of PNG during World War II.
“Today, we reaffirm that commitment by bringing these heroes home, where they belong,” he said.
The potential remains will now undergo further examination and identification in the United States before efforts are made to reunite the fallen with their families.
Berenberg thanked the PNG Government, PNG Defence Force, National Museum and Art Gallery, National Airports Corporation and local communities for their support of the recovery mission.