Technical Sergeant Charles C. Palmer, Jr

Technical Sergeant Charles C. Palmer, Jr. was officially accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) on January 20, 2026, and the public announcement was released after his family was fully briefed on March 20, 2026.

Palmer served as the top turret gunner aboard a Consolidated B-24 Liberator assigned to the 700th Bombardment Squadron.

On 27 September 1944, the bomber departed RAF Tibenham as part of a mission against the German industrial center at Kassel. The group became separated after a navigation error. The bombers were attacked by numerous German fighters. Palmer’s B-24 suffered heavy damage. A fire broke out near the bomb bay. Three crewmen successfully bailed out and became prisoners of war. The remaining six crewmen were lost when the aircraft crashed near Richelsdorf.

The crash site was located after the war by the American Graves Registration Command. In 1951, investigators recovered: human remains, personal effects, and at least one identification tag. Unfortunately, forensic science in the early 1950s was not capable of identifying the remains with confidence. The recovered remains were therefore buried as Unknowns.

Between 2015 and 2016, three archaeological recovery missions excavated the Richelsdorf crash site. Those newly recovered remains were combined with the remains recovered in 1951 and transported to the DPAA laboratory. Using modern forensic methods—including anthropological examination and advanced DNA techniques—the laboratory was able to positively identify Palmer on 20 January 2026.

Before his identification, Palmer’s name appeared on the Wall of the Missing at the Luxembourg American Cemetery. Now that he has been accounted for, a rosette will be placed beside his name to indicate that he has been recovered and identified.