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Michael Flagg, the nephew of the late U.S. Army Air Force pilot 1st Lt Francis J. Pitonyak, visits the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) to view the remains of his deceased uncle, April 15, 2017,on Joint Base pearl Harbor-Hickman, Hawaii. Pitonyak was identified by DPAA on Dec. 20, 2016. On Oct. 28, 1943, Pitonyak was a member of the 36th Fighter Group, 8th Fighter squadron and was the pilot of a single-seat fighter aircraft. Pitonyak led a formation of four aircraft from Wards Airdome near Port Moresby, Territory of Papua on an armed patrol mission to Nadzab in the Markham River Valley. Due to rapidly deteriorating weather conditions and loss of visibility one of the four pilots aborted the mission, returned to base and immediately reported the other three pilots missing, The following day, an aerial search was conducted for the missing aircraft, with no results. The U.S. Army declared Pitonyak deceased as of Oct. 28, 1943.