Remains of WWII Soldier From Oregon Identified

The remains of Oregon WWII soldier Private William Calkins have been identified and will be returned to the state for burial, federal authorities disclosed on Thursday. Calkins, who was captured after US troops surrendered to Japanese forces in Bataan, survived the grueling Bataan Death March but died at age 20 in Cabanatuan POW Camp #1 on November 1, 1942. He was initially buried in a communal grave—Common Grave 704—with other prisoners.

Post-war efforts led to the exhumation and reburial of Calkins' remains at the Manila American Cemetery as an "unknown." However, in 2018, the unknown remains linked to Common Grave 704 were exhumed by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency; DNA analysis and other methods managed to confirm Calkins' identity this year. His name will be marked with a rosette on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery to signal he has been accounted for. Calkins' remains will be transported to Hillsboro, a Portland suburb, for burial in September. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)