Remains of Indiana soldier found in burned-out tank in Germany are finally identified nearly EIGHT DECADES after he was killed in WWII battle
- The remains of a World War II soldier have been identified 79 years after he died in battle
- U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Gene F. Walker from Richmond, Indiana, was 27 when he was killed in Germany
- The DPAA used anthropological analysis, circumstantial evidence and an analysis of mitochondrial DNA to determine the soldier’s identity
An Indiana soldier who died in Germany during World War II has been identified 79 years after his death.
U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Gene F. Walker from Richmond, Indiana, has been named by military scientists who analyzed remains found in Germany.
Walker was 27 when he died – he commanded an M4 Sherman tank during World War II and fought German forces in Hücheln, an area near the Belgian border.
His tank was hit by an anti-tank round and the rest of his crew managed to escape and survive – but Walker was trapped and his fellow soldiers were unable to rescue him due to continued fighting.
Walker was identified through anthropological analysis, circumstantial evidence and an analysis of mitochondrial DNA after his remains were transported from the Henri-Chapelle American Military Cemetery in Hombourg, Belgium, in August 2021.
U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Gene F. Walker from Richmond, Indiana has been named by military scientists who analyzed remains found in Germany
Walker was 27 when he died – he commanded an M4 Sherman tank during World War II and fought German forces in Hücheln, an area near the Belgian border
A historian from the DPAA – Defense POW (Prisoner of War) / MIA (Missing) Accounting Agency – determined Walker’s identity and they announced their findings on Wednesday.
“The hit caused a fire and would have killed Walker immediately,” the agency said.
“The surviving crew jumped out of the tank, but when they regrouped later, they were unable to remove Walker from the tank due to heavy fighting.”
His remains will be buried in San Diego, California sometime in early 2024.
The agency said Walker’s name has been included on the Walls of the Missing at the Dutch American Cemetery in Margarten, Netherlands, and a rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate it has been taken into account.
“The poignant moment for me is when you look at things that someone had with them when they died,” said forensic anthropologist Carrie Brown.
“When this life-changing event happened. Life-changing for him, for his entire family, for generations to come.”
Government figures show that more than 72,000 soldiers from the Second World War are still missing.
The DPAA has identified 1,543 missing soldiers since the agency began operating in 1973. CBS reported.
His tank was hit by an anti-tank round and the rest of his crew managed to escape and survive – but Walker was trapped and his fellow soldiers were unable to rescue him due to continued fighting.
Government figures show that more than 72,000 soldiers from the Second World War are still missing. The DPAA has been able to identify 1,543 missing soldiers since the agency began operating in 1973
Earlier in November – a Missing US pilot’s remains finally found and identified, 80 years after his bomber was shot down Italy during World War II, killing all six people on board.
A team of British scientists from Cranfield University said they had given the family of 2nd Lieutenant Gilbert Haldeen Myers ‘closure’ after discovering his body near Sciacca in Sicily.