Ex-Groves CO, deputy POW/MIA

The Defense Department has named Navy Rear Adm. Jon C. Kreitz to be the next deputy director for operations of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which searches, recovers and identifies missing American war dead and those missing in action around the world. The agency operation is primarily based out of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Kreitz is a former enlisted machinist's mate, who earned a commission through the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps at Georgia Tech. (Source: Honolulu Advertiser 07/22/17) Gulf Coast Note: Kreitz commanded USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG 29), which was among the ships homeported at the now-closed Naval Station Pascagoula, Miss. Kreitz also commanded USS New York (LPD 21) on her maiden deployment in June 2012. In 2003, then-Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in New Orleans was awarded the contract to build that ship. It was under construction in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.