American troops killed in action more than 75 years ago may finally be coming home.
On Thursday, Myanmar repatriated the remains of individuals believed to be U.S. servicemen who were killed in World War II while fighting in the country’s central Sagaing region.
Officials from Myanmar met with members of the POW/MIA Accounting Agency of the Department of Defense to return the remains in a ceremony at Mandalay International Airport. The remains will be transported to an agency laboratory in Hawaii to confirm the identities of those who died.
U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission George Sibley said the repatriation highlights the military’s dedication to leaving no serviceman behind. He explained, “Over 75 years ago, brave Americans gave their lives on a river bank in Sagaing, fighting for peace, justice and freedom far from home. Today we recommit to those noble values as we repatriate the possible remains of those U.S. citizens and honor their service and their sacrifices.”
The remains are believed to be those of seven men from a B-25G bomber that was lost in February 1944. The wreckage from the plane was recovered in 1946, but the remains were not found until last year.
Myanmar, formerly called Burma, was a British colony during World War II that was invaded by Japan. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency reported that 505 U.S. service members have still not been accounted for in the country. There are more than 72,000 servicemen left unaccounted for from the totality of World War II, more than 7,800 servicemen missing from the Korean War, and exactly 1,585 unaccounted for from the conflict in Vietnam.
