Use of World War II Chest Radiograph in the Identification of a Missing-In-Action U.S. Marine, The

Military Medicine, Mar 2005 by Bunch, Ann W, Fielding, Christopher G

A World War II mass grave was recovered in 1999 by a U.S. Army team and yielded 20 complete skeletons. A case study involving the identification of one of these individuals is presented in this article. The thought processes and problems that presented themselves to the forensic anthropologist and odontologist are detailed. Methods used to establish identity are described. This case demonstrates how standard operating procedures used by a forensic anthropologist and odontologist can narrow the field of possible individuals associated with remains, and with extra information-in this case, a military radiograph taken in 1941-can ultimately establish the identity of a decedent. The authors learned that some medical records, which at first glance appear to be excess or irrelevant, may contain the item required to be certain that a case is strong in support of a recommended identification.

Introduction

In August 1942, the U.S. Marine Raiders, an elite group of servicemen trained for difficult amphibious assaults, were involved in a feint operation on Makin Atoll (now known as Butaritari) in the Pacific Theater of World War II. After the mission, 18 of the Raiders were known to have been killed, and 12 additional men were listed as missing in action. Official letters of condolence sent to family members of the 18 killed in action stated that friendly local villagers had buried their loved ones in a local cemetery.

In December 1999, a U.S. Army recovery team discovered the mass grave of 20 individuals on the island of Butaritari, with the assistance of a local eyewitness. Thereafter, the remains were repatriated to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory for identification.

Nineteen individuals of the 20 recovered individuals were identified as members of the Marine Raider unit that stormed the beach 57 years before. The final individual was determined to be an indigenous person who had, according to historical accounts, assisted the Americans and was subsequently executed by the Japanese.

One of the cases is discussed in detail in the following paragraphs. This case demonstrates how the use of World War II chest radiographs eventually provided the comparative information required to make an identification.

Initial Determinations: Anthropological Analysis

The remains present for analysis consisted of osseous human cranial and postcranial remains (Figs. 1 and 2) as well as dental remains (see below). The majority of the skeleton was represented. Because the remains were excavated by a U.S. Army recovery team and were therefore derived from a systematically excavated, well-documented context, it was inferred that they represented a single individual.

Preservation was categorized as "good." Some remains exhibited metal staining and adhesions, undoubtedly owing to the fact that the decedents had been buried with their equipment still donned. Steel pot helmets, ammunition belts, grenades, etc. were discovered in situ within the mass grave context.

As is typical with remains that have been buried for a relatively long period of time, cortical exfoliation was observed on some skeletal elements. The condition of the remains (coloration, pattern of metal stains, and overall preservation) also supported the notion that these skeletal elements were indeed those of one person.

Given the completeness of the skeleton, standard anthropological methods were used to develop a biological profile for this individual. Determinations that could be made were that the remains represented a Caucasoid man with an age-at-death between approximately 18 and 20 years. The estimated living stature was estimated to be 66.4 inches, with a 90% prediction interval of 65.2 to 67.6 inches.

Evidence of ballistic trauma to the cranium was demonstrated on the left and right parietal bones, the occipital bone, the right and left temporal bones, and the frontal bone. The majority of the right parietal bone was absent, yet radiating fractures emanating from the fragmented portion of this particular cranial element suggested that it, along with the left parietal bone, were the focal points for perimortem trauma.

During the process of inventory and analysis, it was noted that this individual demonstrated an abnormal first and second rib on the right side. The first rib was much smaller and fore-shortened than normally would be expected, and it appeared to articulate not with the sternum but with a pseudarthrosis located on the second rib. Upon closer review, the second rib of the left side demonstrated an articular surface for a similar pseudarthrosis; however, no first rib had apparently been recovered. Because the right first rib appeared quite different from a normal human first rib, remains that had been separated as "nonhuman" were scrutinized with this in mind. The quite abnormally shaped left first rib was in fact discovered within these skeletal elements and was returned to the skeletal remains under analysis; a perfect articulation could be demonstrated between the distal end of the first rib and the pseudarthrosis on the midshaft of the second rib of the left side (Fig. 3).