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)
Wayne Lewis is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is noted as having died "while missing" by the National Archive.
03/12/2021
- KOREAN WAR
- UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
- Unaccounted For
On March 21, 1952, a B-26 Invader (tail number 44-34417, call sign unknown) with a crew of five departed Pusan East Air Base on a nighttime reconnaissance mission over Sin'gye, North Korea. During the pilot's last radio communication he stated that he was approaching the target at Sin'gye and that the weather was bad. The aircraft did not return to base and was not heard from again. A crash site has never been found, and the crew members remain missing.
Airman First Class Wayne Edwin Lewis, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Illinois, was assigned to the 730th Bombardment Squadron, 452nd Bombardment Wing. He was the gunner aboard this Invader when it was lost.
No returning POWs mentioned contact with A1C Lewis, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He remains unaccounted-for. Today, Airman First Class Lewis is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Deferred.
If you are a family member of this serviceman, DPAA can provide you with additional information and analysis of your case. Please contact your casualty office representative.
 A1C WAYNE EDWIN LEWIS
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