DPAA Releases Statement About Mission to Identify USS Arizona Unknowns

Dear Families and Supporters,

Today, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) officially announced that the 60% DNA Family Reference Sample threshold has been met for the U.S.S. Arizona Unknown Identification Project. This announcement comes as the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES) informed Operation 85 and government agencies on Tuesday that the required minimum DNA threshold had been met. This milestone allows the next phase of the project to move forward.

As stated in previous emails, the disinterment request package for our U.S.S. Arizona unknowns had already been completed by DPAA in anticipation of this moment, and it can now officially be submitted to the Department of War for approval.

This week, I had a pleasant conversation with the Deputy Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness to inform him of the good news and let him know the request was on the way. I can say with certainty that the Department of War has immense support for this project, for our families, and great pride in what we have accomplished together. I was assured the process will be well orchestrated and trouble-free, and based on that conversation, I foresee no issues with the approvals. However, I will continue to track the progress of this request until it is officially signed and approved and, of course, report back to you.

This is not a signal to stop locating families or collecting DNA. If you are a family member who has not yet received a DNA kit, and it has been more than one week since you received our confirmation email without being contacted by the U.S. Navy, please let us know. While the U.S. Marine Corps Casualty Office has not reported any backlog in sending kits, the U.S. Navy has had difficulty keeping up with the current demand. If you have not yet completed a DNA kit, or if you are still on the fence about participating, we still need you. Your Family Reference Sample helps ensure the greatest number of crew members are represented with the correct DNA needed to support a possible identification. If you already have a kit, please complete and return it immediately. You can always reach out to us at 703-829-0720 for help.

Operation 85’s relationship with DPAA and the U.S. Government has come a long way in three short years. In 2022, the U.S. Navy reported to Congress that identifying the U.S.S. Arizona unknowns was “impractical” to ever accomplish. Three years later, through hard work and persistence, we have helped prove that it was indeed possible.

Our Operation 85 team achieved a monumental undertaking, compressing a timeline estimated by the Navy of more than 10 years into just 3, and reducing an expected tax-payer cost of $2.7 million to approximately $100,000 in privately funded support. Operation 85 has also gathered a significant collection of files, photos, and records pertaining to the U.S.S. Arizona. We look forward to releasing this material on our USSArizona.navy website in the near future, ensuring access not only for our family members, but also for the historical preservation of the U.S.S. Arizona crew.

Why is it important to keep urging DPAA and our government to move faster? Because during our own three-year project, we have had 16 cases of family members passing away before they received or completed their DNA kits, and another 8 family members passing away after the process. These were brothers, sisters, children, and many nieces and nephews who never received closure within their lifetime. Many of these families were people our team made personal connections with during our work. That is what motivates me, and what motivates our Operation 85 team, to keep pressing for change.

Along the way, I truly want to thank many of the family members for their patience and understanding throughout this process. It was not easy, and at times family members likely gritted their teeth at some of my comments and methods of moving the mission forward. I was blunt and forceful with our government when I needed to be. I was strategic and political when I needed to be. And I was always open and willing to adapt along the way as we proved ourselves by doing the work.

Operation 85 has earned praise for its fast, efficient, reliable, and secure FRS-related processes and is forging strong partnerships to expand the impact of our meaningful work.

The official DPAA statement released today is below. I am looking forward to more great news ahead, and I will continue to keep you informed of the progress.

Respectfully,

Kevin Kline
Executive Director
The U.S.S. Arizona “Operation 85”
(Grand Nephew of GM2c Robert Edwin Kline)
kkline@ussarizona.navy