212616 Pfc. Dennis L. "Junie" Hogan United States Army 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment from:Piermont, NY (d.22nd April 1945) My Uncle Dennis Hogan enlisted in the Army on 5/5/42. He wound up in the paratroopers, the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment. After spending time in
New Guinea his regiment parachuted into Luzon on 2/3/45. On the follow
ing day he single-handedly took out a Japanese machine nest that was
holding them up at a bridge. For this action he was awarded a Silver
Star. On 2/7/45 he was slightly wounded on the way to Manila (Purple
Heart #1). On 4/22/45 Dennis and 15 other troopers from Co. E were
killed in action near Sulac. Initially, he was listed as having been
identified by the company 1st Sergeant and buried in Batangas Cemetery.
He was awarded a Bronze Star for whatever he did that day and a 2nd Pur
ple Heart. One of his dog tags was sent to his mother along with some
personal possessions. When my grandmother tried to have his body returned to the US the cemetery said they had no record of him. My mother
and my grandmother spent 5 years trying to find out what had happened,
without success. One of my cousins and I have spent the past 2 years
trying to accomplish what they hadn't been able to do. No success yet.
We had been assisted by a man at the Past Conflicts Repatriations Branch.
However, he retired and since then we've heard zilch. We know it's a
68-year-old long shot but hope springs eternal. Additional Information: | About 2 months ago we requested & received a Chaplain's Report detailing burials in USAF Temporary Cemetery #1, Batangas, Luzon. My uncle was on it. It said that he was buried on 4/30/45, & it gave grave, row & lot numbers. So I can't understand how Graves Registration could say that they had no record of him & caused him to be declared Unrecoverable. The only glitch was one of the digits in his serial number was wrong.
We are still trying to find out what happened to the remains in his grave. The biggest problem is trying go find out who would have those records. I guess as a last resort we could try to enlist the aid of one of our senators. Wish us luck. Charles Rogers
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