When local veteran Bob Shay first learned about Pfc. Charlie McAllister’s story while reading an article in Stars & Stripes, he decided he would make it “his job” to ensure the World War I veteran’s remains were brought home. Little did he know the journey would take nearly four years. But every step was worth it and Shay was honored to be present when the ceremonial military transfer of PFC McAllister’s remains took place on August 16 in Seattle, Washington. On August 20, McAllister’s funeral ceremony will commence at 1:00 p.m. in Acacia Memorial Park – 106 years after he died during the Second Battle of the Marne.
When he first told his wife about his plans to bring McAllister home, Shay said she responded with “there you go again, tilting at windmills.” But Shay’s determination and tenacity helped result in the return of an American soldier, a positive outcome he doesn’t take credit for achieving.
Apparently, when congress created the statute governing the identification of wartime remains, they failed to account for any conflicts previous to World War II. So when forensic anthropologist Jay Silverstein believed he had identified McAllister’s remains, he was unable to move forward through regular channels.
Silverstein had worked for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) in Hawaii, the U.S. government’s official agency tasked with bringing home the remains of the nation’s missing war dead. According to the Stars & Stripes article, Silverstein was frustrated that the remains had been stored at the agency’s Hawaii lab for 15 years and he wasn’t going to let technicalities leave it unresolved.
Silverstein told Stars & Stripes that he believes the agency has an obligation “to account for pre-World War II remains that come into its possession.”
“Once these remains are accessioned into the laboratory, in my opinion, the agency has accepted responsibility to treat them with the dignity, respect, diligence, and honor due their sacrifice for our nation,” Silverstein said in an email to Stars and Stripes.
McAllister’s remains were first transferred to the United States from France in 2004 and placed in the cold case files. In 2019, his remains were identified by Silverstein using military personnel records and material evidence recovered at the scene and further confirmed with DNA from McAllister’s great-niece Beverly Dillion. The legal identification was held up due to bureaucratic reasons, which is what brought Shay on board.
“McAllister’s remains kinda sat on the back burning because the DPAA didn’t provide the funding to identify pre-WWII remains, so the anthropologist did all the work on his own time,” shared Shay. “Also, since the DPAA required two DNA samples, one from the female line and one from the male line, they wouldn’t recognize the identification.”
Shay explained that the way the government has set things up, limits who can address issues on behalf of others. Shay couldn’t contact the Idaho Congressional delegation because McAllister wasn’t their constituent. Dillion lived in Montana, and McAllister was from Washington. Shay encouraged Dillion to contact her Montana Representative Ryan Zinke (R) because he was a veteran. Zinke’s office linked Dillion up with US Army Personnel Command in Fort Knox which helped facilitate contact with more extended family. Eventually, a male relative was found in Seattle, Washington, and his DNA sample was used to complete the legal identification.
Kris McAllister McLeod accompanied her 91-year-old father Gerald McAllister, the family’s oldest living member, to the dignified transfer ceremony and both are expected to attend tomorrow’s funeral ceremony. Gerald, who stood and saluted his uncle’s coffin until the transfer was complete, was presented with several awards on McAllister’s behalf, including a Silver Star and a Purple Heart.
Shay used his contacts within the American Legion to help bring McAllister home and to spread the word about McAllister’s story and funeral ceremony. He currently serves as 1st Vice Commander of the Steven H. Nipp American Legion Post 143 in Post Falls. He was a past Volunteer Monument Hunter (2015-2021), a member of the United States World War 1 Centennial Commission, a former PH3, USNR-R, Navy Aviation (1964-1970), and part of the Voluntary Overseas Pacific Fleet Deployment (1966-1968).
All images courtesy of Kris McAllister McLeod via Facebook.
