JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Thursday that 24-year-old U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Alfred J. Hamwey, killed during World War II, has been accounted for.
He was identified May 20 following the recovery of his remains in late 2022. The family of Hamwey recently received notification of his identification.
A rosette will be placed next to Hamwey's name at the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial to show he has been accounted for. Hamwey will be buried Sept. 12 in Jacksonville.
In January 1945, Hamwey was assigned to 360th Service Group, Combat Replacement Training Center, Far East Air Force, and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea, the DPAA said in a news release.
He was fighting Japanese forces near Wewak, Territory of New Guinea. Hamwey’s unit attacked enemy defensive positions on nearby Cape Wom. He was reported as missing in action on Jan. 20.
The American Graves Registration Service conducted searches of battle areas and crash sites in New Guinea, concluding their search in late 1948. In June 1949, AGRS officials were unable to locate any remains of Hamwey and the other two crew members, and they were designated as "non-recoverable."
More attempts to recover service members from Papua New Guinea occurred in the early 1980s. Then progress in identifying Hamwey took off.
An Australian Defence Force officer reported seeing an aircraft crash site in December 2011 near Cape Wom, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. A local guide from the nearby Wom Village had discovered the site roughly six months prior and stated human remains had been seen in the crash, the release said.
Between July 2015 and May 2016, DPAA personnel interviewed locals, collected crash materials and various life support items, and collected possible remains. In late 2022, a DPAA Underwater Recovery Team conducted operations at the site, and recovered possible human remains and other material evidence. The remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory.
To identify Hamwey’s remains, scientists used dental and anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at 800-892-2490.
