Hi GFO, I need to get some pointers on how to find out if a "Returned War Dead" really had his remains returned from Iwo Jima. I'm helping someone try and determine where their family member is buried, and when it happened. There is a digital copy of his family's "Application For Headstone or Marker" on Ancestry.com. At the top of the card are the words "Returned War Dead." The card also showed that the name of cemetery, where the marker was to be delivered, was the "Vets Plot, Lincoln Memorial Park, Portland, Oregon." Their staff wasn't able to find any record of him being buried there, and since they have no record of his burial, they couldn't say when or if any marker was ever placed. I checked the Oregonian for something regarding him and his death, and found an article saying his family had been notified of his death. It told a little about him, his family, enlistment, and had a photo of him in his uniform. This was about a month and a half later after his death. A couple months after that that article, there was another article with a photo showing 3 mothers talking to 2 soldiers. They were trying to find out information about their sons, and still holding on to hope their sons were just missing and might still be alive. Some information about the soldier, from the "Application For Headstone or Marker," is as follows: PVT Walter Lloyd HOLLEY, Born 7 Dec 1918, died in Iwo Jima on 7 Mar. 1945. He was in Company F, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. He enlisted 9 May 1944. The card also gave his Service number as 930162. The date of the "Application For Headstone or Marker" was 16 Feb. 1949, almost 5 years after Walter's death. In the square marked "Do Not Write Here" was stamped in blue ink "W. Chelmsford, Mass., May 14, 1949." There was also a number stamped on the "Shipped" line. Questions: 1) Is a family member the only one who would be able to obtain information regarding the remains of Walter HOLLEY? 2) Has any of you ever tried to get this sort of information? Did you get an answer, and who did you contact? 3) Is there somewhere local that the family member, or I, could contact for information about Walter's remains, or does this require contacting a government agency outside of Oregon? 4) Would the contact be the US Veteran's Affairs or is it possible a division of the US Marines might have an answer? 5) Is there a website with a database regarding the remains of the Returned War Dead, that might give names, dates and places? Does it require a subscription to be able to access the database? Any help/answers would be appreciated. Jan Fenter