Remains of World War II Soldier to be buried in Fairview Heights, Illinois

By CNN Newsource

Published October 25, 2023 6:14 AM

By Terry Cancila

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Illinois (KMOV) — The remains of Army Cpl. James A. Hurt, a soldier killed during World War II, will be interred Oct. 28 at Lake View Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Fairview Heights, Illinois.

Hurt, a native of East St. Louis, was among thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members who were captured and interned at POW camps when U.S. forces in Bataan fell to the Japanese. According to records, Hurt died while in captivity on July 19, 1942 and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery. Hurt was 25 years old.

Following the war, along with thousands of other unidentified soldiers, Hurts remains were relocated to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 2018 the remains were disinterred by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency for analysis. Hurt was accounted for by the DPAA August 21, 2023, after his remains were identified using circumstantial evidence as well as dental, anthropological and mitochondrial DNA analysis.

Today, more than 73,000 Americans remain totally unaccounted for from World War II.

To learn more about the Department of Defense’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at dpaa.mil, facebook.com/dodpaa, or call 703-699-1420/1169.

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Article Topic Follows: CNN - Regional

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