David C. Daniels:
CLASS OF 1969
Warren Woods High SchoolClass of 1969
Warren, MI
Tennessee Technological UniversityClass of 1972
Cookeville, TN
Macomb Community CollegeClass of 1971
Warren, MI
David C.'s Story
Since December 2009 I have been working with the Department of Defense, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) to repatriate 1st Lt. Francis J. Pitonyak an Army Air Corp pilot, my wifes great uncle, who crashed on October 28, 1943, in the vicinity of Urulau Village, Kerema District, Gulf Province, Independant State of Papua, New Guinea. After five missions to the crash site DPAA returned on August 7, 2016 from New Guinea with human remains, dog tags, personal religious artifacts and his class ring, engraved with his initials "FJP".. On December 20, 2016 DPAA positively identified through dental records and personal effects the remains were of 1st Lt. Francis J. Pitonyak. An interment was held in Arlington National Cemetery on September 22, 2017 at 10:45 AM from the Old Post Chapel, with full military honors and a flyover.
After repatriating 1st Lt. Francis James Pitonyak, my wife's great u...Expand for more
ncle, and having him interred in Arlington National Cemetery, in 2017, we tracked down the family of 2nd Lt. William Melville. After receiving a bit of resistance from the family, we located a niece that was up to the challenge. We again traveled to Washington, DC, and lobbied for another excavation. In July 2019 the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) revisited Papua New Guinea on our behalf and excavated the crash site. Remains and other evidentiary items were recovered and in July 2020 a positive identification was made of 2nd Lt. William Henry Melville. He was buried in Ft. Snelling National Cemetery on July 16, 2021.
During his funeral, he was honored with a flyover by two F-16 fighter jets. After the flyover Col. Mike McCarthy commented that Uncle Frank and Uncle Billy are flying together again. Unfortunately, the crash site of the 3rd pilot, 2nd Lt. George Fenn, has yet to be discovered. But, we are still pursuing the investigation.
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