Remains of World War II soldier to be returned to family

BEAUMONT, Texas — The remains of a 20-year-old southeast Texas soldier who went missing in action in 1944 during World War II have been identified and are being returned to his family.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on Tuesday announced the remains of Army Sgt. James K. Park of Beaumont will be buried Saturday in Barry, Texas.

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Park was with Company I, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, in Germany when the soldiers were in a battle in the Hürtgen Forest.

Park was believed wounded. He was reported missing in action in November 1944, then declared deceased a year later. In 1946, unidentified remains from a civilian cemetery near the forest were recovered, then reburied in Belgium.

The remains were disinterred in 2017 for DNA testing and identified in June as Park.

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By Tara Copp, AP

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