Data Sources - Air Force Manual No. 200-25A, Department of the Air Force, Washington, October 16, 1961 page 1. Sanitized copy. National Archives KOREAN Conflict Casualty File (KCCF) 1950-1954.
03/92 -- Korea, and the men yet to be accounted for -- the "official list" -- is a list of U.S. servicemen known to have been
held as prisoners of war by the red Chinese and North Koreans from the Korean War
but not released or accounted for by the communists, as released on May 27,
1957 at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on the Far East and Pacific by the Department
of Defense.
The lists, the printed minutes of the May 27, 1957 hearing and the
"sense of congress" resolution were subsequently buried in the
archives. The original list had 450 names compiled from American POWS who were
repatriated by the Reds, as well as from photographs released by the Reds, Chinese
radio propaganda broadcasts, and letters written home by captured men. The "revised" list was narrowed down in august of 1961 to 389 men, and
all were arbitrarily declared dead by the military services, the USG still
lists them as "unaccounted for".
Names and ranks only were released at the time, and printed in "The
Spotlight" on August 27, 1979, along with the above information and background.
Further information has been compiled by the P.O.W. Network from the Hawaii POW/MIA
Korean Memorial records, National Archives documentation, and public United
States Air Force documentation, and changes made to the original published
information. (FEBRUARY 1992)
John Coulter is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is noted as having died "while missing" by the National Archive.
Albert Crane is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is noted as having died "while missing" by the National Archive.
SEE JOHN COULTER
03/11/2021
- Date of Accounting
- KOREAN WAR
- UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
- Accounted For 08/22/2005
On August 22, 2005, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA)
identified the remains of First Lieutenant Alvin Earl Crane Jr., missing
from the Korean War.
First Lieutenant Crane joined the U.S. Air Force from California and was
a member of the 6148th Tactical Control Squadron. On September 13, 1951,
he took off from Pyongtaek Air Base, South Korea, piloting a T-6F
Mosquito (serial number unavailable) along with one other crew member on
a mission to direct air strikes against enemy ground targets northeast
of Kaesong, North Korea. After successfully directing four U.S. fighters
to enemy targets, 1st Lt Crane's T-6F was shot down by enemy fire. One
parachute was seen to emerge from the aircraft before it crashed in
Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Enemy activity in the area prevented
immediate search-and-rescue attempts. U.N. forces were eventually able
to locate the crash site, where they recovered remains which were
identified as the observer who served on board this Mosquito. No sign of
1st Lt Crane or his remains could be found at the site. No further
information regarding the loss of 1st Lt Crane was ever received. In May
1990, the North Korean government repatriated to the United States human
remains that were allegedly associated with a U.S. serviceman killed in
Hwanghae Province. Forensic analysis eventually allowed these returned
remains to be identified as those of 1st Lt Crane.
First Lieutenant Crane is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at
the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
If you are a family member of this serviceman, you may contact your casualty office representative to learn more about your service member.