WWII, Vietnam Veterans' Remains Identified, Returned After Decades

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has identified the remains of several American soldiers who died as prisoners of war during World War II and the Vietnam War, bringing long-awaited closure to their families. U.S. Army Pvt. Blanchard Pruitt, who died in a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines in 1943 at age 19, will be buried in Louisiana next to his mother after decades of his family searching for his remains. Similarly, U.S. Army Sgt. Simon Garelick of St. Joseph, Missouri, who died in captivity at the Cabanatuan POW camp in 1942 following the Bataan Death March, was accounted for in October 2024 and will be laid to rest in Kansas City. Additionally, bone fragments of Willis, a Vietnam War veteran killed in a secret mission in Laos in 1968, were recovered after years of difficult searching in 2025, highlighting the DPAA's ongoing efforts in recovering and identifying remains from challenging sites. These identifications were made possible through extensive forensic analyses, including DNA testing, and represent significant efforts to honor and remember those who served and sacrificed. The DPAA's work continues to bridge historical gaps and provide closure to families decades after the conflicts ended.