Over 81,000 U.S. service members from past wars remain either missing or unidentified, with the majority from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), a Department of Defense entity, is responsible for locating and identifying these individuals. Most missing remains are not found on U.S. soil, as the continental United States was not a primary theater of conflict, though Alaska and Hawaii have higher concentrations of unidentified service members due to military action during World War II.
One such case involves an unidentified soldier designated “X-3,” whose remains have been held at Sitka National Cemetery in Alaska since 1948. X-3 is believed to be 2nd Lt. Eugene Christensen of Nebraska, who was among 16 soldiers aboard a C-53B transport plane that crashed near Cold Bay in the Aleutian Islands on June 3, 1942. Ten of the servicemen were never recovered, while six were found and initially buried locally. Following the war, most were reburied in their home communities, but one remained unidentified. A local history researcher spent years advocating for the disinterment and identification of X-3, and later received support from Pfeiffer, a Texas resident whose family believes X-3 may be his great uncle Christensen.
In late June, a DPAA recovery team successfully disinterred X-3’s remains from the cemetery after overcoming significant challenges related to soil conditions and subsurface movement. The remains were found intact within a wooden casket lined with metal. The recovery team, which included an archeologist, odontologist, and medic, will now employ modern forensic techniques including dental identification and DNA analysis to confirm the soldier’s identity.
According to DPAA officials, cases like X-3 represent the nation’s commitment to honoring its fallen and providing closure to families. If the remains are confirmed to be Christensen, his family hopes to rebury him in a Lutheran cemetery in Nebraska where other family members are interred.
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