{"id":88,"date":"2013-09-01T12:15:54","date_gmt":"2013-09-01T17:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chiefrickstone.wordpress.com\/?page_id=88"},"modified":"2026-04-06T11:43:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T16:43:20","slug":"jpac-in-the-news","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.chiefrickstone.com\/?page_id=88","title":{"rendered":"JPAC Command \u201cAcutely Dysfunctional\u2026Disgraceful\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

JPAC\/DPAA IN THE NEWS<\/strong><\/h1>\n

2026 UPDATE:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On April 5, 2026, the Foundation received a copy of a letter written by a MIA family addressed to members of Congress.\u00a0 The letter, which speaks for itself and needs no elaboration, is posted below at the request and permission of the author:<\/p>\n

\u00a0“<\/i><\/b>Adam Schiff, United States Senator, Washington, D.C.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On December 7, 1941, my great uncle, William Francis Morris (Bill), Fireman First Class (F1C), USN, was killed in action aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Since that time, the family has wanted to understand what happened to Bill and, if possible, to return his remains to California.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, recent actions and interactions with the Defense POW\/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and the U.S. Navy Casualty Office have given the family reason to believe that the DPAA is most likely over-reporting the number of remains it is identifying<\/u>\u2014presumably to justify continued funding from Congress.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Background:\u00a0 <\/em>Since the late 1940s, Bill has been listed as one of the 25 \u201cUnknowns\u201d of the U.S.S. West Virginia. He is currently memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (a.k.a., Punchbowl Cemetery).<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2022, Bill\u2019s niece and next of kin, Catherine Schellenberg (my mother) provided a DNA sample to the DPAA, with the understanding that recent advancements in DNA testing could potentially identify the remains of the Unknowns, many of which were exhumed in 2017. She also learned that the DPAA had created a web page for Bill, which identified Bill\u2019s case as \u201cDeferred\u201d and \u201cUnaccounted For.\u201d Over the next few years, she and I regularly checked this page, hoping to see the status change for Bill and for the other Unknowns. By 2024, the page indicated that only five Unknowns from the U.S.S. West Virginia had yet to be identified and accounted for. We were hopeful that Bill\u2019s identification would be next, but were concerned about the slow progress. At that time, his status was still \u201cUnaccounted for\u201d and \u201cDeferred.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2025, we learned that additional research was available from the Chief Rick Stone Family & Charitable Foundation (\u201cFoundation\u201d) that might help the DPAA advance Bill\u2019s case. The Foundation generously provided a report that suggested two sets of remains (Halawa X-141 and X-176) had the highest probability for matching Bill. To increase certainty of a match (i.e., narrow it down to just one X-file), it was recommended that we acquire a copy of the Bill\u2019s Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). If the OMPF contained additional biometric data, the Foundation might be able to focus the alternatives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

With generous support from the Office of Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, we received the OMPF, which was shared with the Foundation. Unfortunately, the OMPF did not contain additional biometric data. An extensive review of family photographs, letters and other materials also failed to generate any additional biometric data. Given that, in February 2026, we shared the report from the Foundation with the Navy Casualty Office, hopeful that it might generate progress in Bill\u2019s case.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On March 6, 2026, I received a call from a Navy Casualty Officer (CO). The news was not good. The DPAA had been unable to identify Bill\u2019s remains, along with the remains of the four other Unknowns. The CO\u2019s understanding was that the DNA from the unidentified remains\u2014which presumably contained Bill\u2019s\u2014was unusable. This seemed plausible since the ship\u2019s fuel oil caught fire during the attack, resulting in a fire that lasted approximately thirty hours.[1]<\/a> Surprisingly, he also stated that all investigations related to the U.S.S. West Virginia had stopped in late 2024 and that he was working with Navy leadership to organize a ceremony at the Punchbowl Cemetery. He suggested that this ceremony, which he hoped would occur on December 7, 2026, would follow the same format as previous ceremonies for the U.S.S. Oklahoma and U.S.S. California. The event would honor the sacrifices of those who lost their lives aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia and coincide with the re-internment\/group burial of the remains associated with the five Unknowns.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On March 23, 2026, the Casualty Officer followed-up the phone call with an email (Exhibit 1), which contained more detailed information related to the report from the Foundation. The two most likely matches for Bill (Halawa files X-141 and X-176) were not a match. This was disappointing but otherwise helpful information.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On March 24, 2026, the Foundation informed me that Bill\u2019s web page on the DPAA site Web page dated 3\/27\/2026 had been updated:\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>https:\/\/dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil\/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt00000004mo4EAA<\/em><\/p>\n

My mother and I were shocked to see that Bill\u2019s remains were now “Identified” and that Bill’s status was “Accounted For.” Even more shocking was the Date of Identification: September 27, 2024!<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Had there been a glitch on the DPAA\u2019s website? Or, had the DPAA actually identified Bill\u2019s remains some time ago? This latter possibility seemed too good to be true since\u2014just one day prior\u2014we had received the email (Exhibit 1). Why would the DPAA bother informing us of a non-match when Bill\u2019s remains were identified in September 2024???<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When I spoke with the CO, the explanation I received was not only disappointing, it was an insult to me, an insult to my mother and, quite frankly, an insult to all other family members of any Unknown from any military conflict. If true, it is also a great disservice to the U.S. taxpayer<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The CO stated unequivocally that Bill’s remains had not<\/u> been “individually identified”\u2014his emphasis\u2014but that technically, Bill had been identified and accounted for. I asked him to explain further and then received some very confusing \u201clogic.\u201d The CO stated that Bill\u2019s remains had been identified and accounted for by association only<\/u>\u2014because Bill was assigned to the U.S.S. West Virginia. He confirmed that there is no physical or biological evidence of any kind to indicate that Bill’s remains were within the remaining sets\/fragments of remains associated with the five Unknowns from the U.S.S. West Virginia. Bill might have been accidentally buried under a different name in the 1940s or he might have gone AWOL on December 6, 1941 (which, of course, is highly unlikely). The DPAA does not know.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The CO tried to make sense of the status change on Bill\u2019s web page, indicating that he had informed the DPAA of our original conversation on March 6, 2026. Rather than suggest the DPAA had made an error on its website, he speculated that the DPAA had updated the page \u201cto show progress so that it can get funding from Congress.\u201d He pointed out that the DPAA has \u201caccounting\u201d in its name.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When I suggested that this was fraudulent and dishonest \u201caccounting,\u201d he side-stepped, saying that he was \u201cjust the messenger\u201d (\u201cNavy personnel, not part of the DPAA\u201d), he sometimes got confused himself with terminology (\u201cidentified\u201d vs. \u201cindividually identified\u201d), that the DPAA does<\/u> occasionally identify remains (\u201cReally!\u201d), that he has over 30,000 cases and can’t necessarily keep track of them all, etc. He once again reminded me that the DPAA has \u201caccounting\u201d in its name, and then pivoted to the upcoming ceremony at the Punchbowl Cemetery.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Conclusion:\u00a0 <\/em>My mother and I understand if it is physically impossible to identify Bill’s remains; it is clear that the attack, the fire and other conditions likely destroyed DNA and other evidence.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What we cannot understand\u2014and certainly do not approve of<\/u>\u2014both as Bill’s relatives and as taxpayers\u2014is seeing an agency take credit for identifying remains when they clearly have not. Obviously, they have incurred expenses. But do not recover those expenses by lying. That is not right!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We are also very concerned about other families. How many families of the original 25 Unknowns from the U.S.S. West Virginia (or other ships, for that matter) were identified by association only? The DPAA web site does not differentiate this; in fact, a further review of Bill\u2019s page does indicate that he was \u201cindividually identified\u201d\u2014as indicated in Exhibit 2.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We suspect that other families and the U.S. taxpayer have been misled. And it almost goes without saying that we, the relatives of William Francis Morris, F1C, will not be attending the ceremony at the Punchbowl. The U.S. Navy can keep its money.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Recommendation:\u00a0 <\/em>Based on our recent experience, we strongly recommend<\/u> that you and your colleagues provide more oversight of the DPAA, if not outsource some its work to the private sector. They are likely committing fraud at the taxpayer’s expense and, in the process, greatly irritating the survivors and relatives of the brave men and women who died in the service of their country<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you have questions or would like to discuss further, please do not hesitate to reach out.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew Schellenberg<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

c.c.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Senator Alex Padilla<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Congressman Mark DeSaulnier”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Foundation Note:\u00a0 <\/strong>According to DPAA’s estimates their Fiscal Year 2026 budget is $171.3 million.<\/p>\n

******************************************************<\/p>\n

On January 30, 2015, after multiple Joint POW\/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) scandals were exposed by NBC, CBS, Fox News, NPR, the AP, Stars and Stripes and a host of other media outlets as listed in the links below; the Department of Defense finally announced that JPAC was being dissolved.\u00a0 The end of JPAC took a total of 569 days from the time the first “MIA WORK ‘ACUTELY DYSFUNCTIONAL’<\/span><\/span> story was reported in the media on July 7, 2013.\u00a0 The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, called the situation at JPAC \u201cdisgraceful\u201d when he testified before Congress.\u00a0 With the formal dissolution of JPAC, \u00a0the former Secretary of Defense made a pledge to the American public that a “paradigm shift” away from “outdated, institutionalized thinking” at JPAC was in the offing.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

THE FACTS AS REPORTED BY THE MEDIA LEADING TO THE DEATH OF JPAC<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In 2013 the Associated Press published a report that revealed some of what went on behind the scenes at JPAC. The report cited JPAC’s management as being “so inept, mismanaged and wasteful that it risks descending from dysfunction to total failure.” The report stated “the decades-old pursuit of bones and other MIA evidence is sluggish, often duplicative and subjected to too little scientific rigor.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

The report noted that the JPAC Command was “woefully inept and even corrupt.” The then JPAC commander, Air Force Major General Kelly K. McKeague, was quoted as saying he would not dispute those who say his organization is dysfunctional.\u00a0 The report noted that in recent years the process by which the JPAC Laboratory field recovery teams gathered bones and other material useful for identifications had “collapsed” and was “acutely dysfunctional.” The report concluded that absent prompt and significant change, “the descent from dysfunction to total failure … is inevitable.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Media reports surfaced about an internal report commissioned by the JPAC Laboratory in an effort to place the blame on sections of JPAC other than the Laboratory for what was predicted to be the Laboratory’s failure to achieve a 200 identification per year goal mandated by Congress. Responding to the AP story, the National League of POW\/MIA Families issued a statement that “Inaccuracies and manipulated data in his report, largely unfounded assertions and personal accusations reflect a Lab-generated power-play seeking greater Lab control within JPAC.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

A\u00a0follow-up audit by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) stated JPAC\u00a0efforts were “undermined by long standing\u00a0leadership weaknesses, infighting and other problems” including “a fragmented organizational structure.” Sen. Claire McCaskill vowed “We’re going to get to the bottom of this. The problems…are systemic and seem to extend even beyond the problems identified in this report.” A few days later, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, in testimony about JPAC\u00a0before the Senate Armed Services Committee stated, “It’s so discouraging and it’s moving rapidly toward disgraceful.” And the general soon found many other disgraceful actions by the JPAC\u00a0command that became public knowledge. The Washington Post reported “Pentagon to Investigate Allegations of Waste, Fraud, Abuse in JPAC”.<\/b><\/p>\n

NBC News then ran a story titled “Pentagon Agency Under Fire for Refusing to ID World War II Soldiers” stating JPAC “has refused to conduct DNA tests to determine once and for all whose bones are in the graves of the unknowns, even when its own investigators say they have narrowed it down to only one possible match.” The story also noted “The JPAC lab objected first to the formatting of the requests by Stone and other JPAC historians, documents show. The lab rejected reports because commas were in the wrong place, or because they used footnotes instead of endnotes.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Chief Rick Stone kneeling at the grave of an “Unknown” whose case he had investigated and recommended for identification – Photo by NBC News<\/p>\n

The U.S. Senate conducted a committee hearing in which Senator Claire McCaskill and Senator Kelly Ayotte lambasted Gen. Kelly McKeague and DPMO head Montague Winfield over “dysfunctional bureaucracy” and “pettiness, negligence, or willful ignorance.”\u00a0 Senator McCaskill noted that her office had received calls from dozens of whistleblowers. She ordered McKeague to “get it frickin’ done!” and threatened more hearings and Congressional intervention telling Gen. McKeague that he had “better get used to this room” and “we will meet again.”<\/b><\/p>\n

NBC News then ran another story titled “PENTAGON\u00a0UNIT HELD “PHONY” CEREMONIES FOR MIA’S, USING PLANES THAT CAN’T FLY”, <\/strong>\u00a0which revealed what JPAC employees referred to as\u00a0the “Big Lie” whereby the remains of American servicemen and women\u00a0were used as props in quarterly stage productions to benefit JPAC’s\u00a0public relations image.\u00a0 <\/strong>In the article it was revealed that the average length of time for the JPAC Laboratory to identify casualties had reached 11 YEARS for each set of remains that are recovered.<\/strong><\/p>\n

More investigations and hearings followed and more facts about the “disgraceful” actions of the JPAC command, as described by General Dempsey, were exposed in the media.\u00a0 Just a few days before JPAC was officially dissolved a JPAC Laboratory manager announced in the media “a big success for us” alleging that \u00a0JPAC had made “107 identifications in 2014.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.stripes.com\/news\/jpac-107-identifications-of-mia-remains-made-in-2014-1.325044<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

However, the Department of Defense posted on their web site that the number of identifications by the JPAC laboratory in 2014 was actually only 69 and not 107.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Click on the “No Home For Heroes – Podcasts link below to listen to Episode 1 for more information on “How It All Began”:<\/p>\n

No Home For Heroes – Podcasts<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n