Fallen WWII soldier from Avenal identified 82 years later

AVENAL, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A worker who fought and died successful World War II was yet identified earlier this twelvemonth arsenic U.S. Army Private 1st Class Joseph C. MacDonald of Avenal.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), Private Macdonald was lone 20 years aged erstwhile helium was captured arsenic a captive of warfare during WWII.

The DPAA says Macdonald was a subordinate of the 60th Coast Artillery Regiment, U.S. Army, erstwhile Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands. Thousands of U.S. and Filipino work members were captured and interned astatine POW camps aft U.S. forces successful Bataan surrendered to the Japanese connected May 6, 1942.

Officials accidental MacDonald died December 28, 1942, and was buried on with astir 2,800 other American soldiers successful Nueva Ecija Province's Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery successful Common Grave 721.

U.S. Army Private 1st Class Joseph C. MacDonald of Avenal

After the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed the buried soldiers and relocated their remains to a impermanent U.S. subject mausoleum adjacent Manila. In 1947, the AGRS identified assorted sets of remains, but MacDonald and others were considered unidentifiable astatine the time.

The DPAA says the unidentified remains were buried astatine the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial arsenic Unknowns. It was successful June 2018, erstwhile the remains were disinterred and sent to the DPAA for investigation arsenic portion of the Cabanatuan Project.

Scientists accidental they were capable to place MacDonald aft utilizing anthropological and mitochondrial DNA investigation and looking astatine dental and circumstantial evidence. According to the DPAA, MacDonald volition beryllium buried astatine sea.

The DPAA adds that Private First Class MacDonald is memorialized connected the Walls of the Missing astatine the Manila American Cemetery successful the Philippines.