Another Returns Home
The remains of a soldier missing since World War II will be buried today in Bethlehem, PA.
PVT William Yawney, 105th Infantry regiment, 27th Infantry Division, US Army, formerly of Freemansburg, PA, was lost during operations on Saipan during June-July 1944. His remains could not be located for repatriation after the war. In 1948, his remains were declared unrecoverable.
However, on 3 September 2011 a private archeological firm excavating land near Achugao Village, Saipan, located human remains. These remains were turned over to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). Modern forensic techniques including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) matching conclusively identified the remains as being those of PVT Yawney.
Rest in peace, my elder brother-in-arms. Welcome home at last.
. . .
Over 73,600 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,900 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; and over 1,640 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. If you are a relative of one of the individuals listed here (World War II – critical need), listed here (Korea), or listed here (Southeast Asia) – please read this link to see if you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample.
If you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample, please submit one. By submitting a mtDNA sample you may be able to help identify US remains that have been recovered and repatriated but not yet positively identified.
Everybody deserves a proper burial. That’s especially true for those who gave all in the service of this nation.
Category: No Longer Missing
God bless his service. Welcome home Brother! God bless his family!
“’The family had the choice of having William Yawney buried at the Arlington National Cemetery, but the family decided instead to have him laid to rest next to his parents. Yawney’s father died in 1933 but his mother wept regularly over his death,’ John Yawney [Private Yawney’s nephew] said. “’Now we’ll know he’ll be with my grandmother,’” he said.”
Indeed. God bless them all. Welcome home, Private Yawney.
The quote is taken from the link below, which also carries a photo of Private Yawney.
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2013/05/remains_of_freemansburg_man_ki.html
Welcome Home, Warrior. Rest in Peace.
The Appleknockers of the 105th were hit very hard by the largest banzai attack of WWII on Saipan. the 1/105 Bn Cdr(Ltc William O’Brien), the Bn dentist 2/105(CPT Ben L. Salomen)Sgt Thomas Baker A-1/105 were all awarded Posthumous MoH for that night.