Remains of WWII soldier identified 76 years after listed as MIA

PORTLAND, Ore. — The remains of a World War II soldier who went missing in final weeks of the Guadalcanal campaign have been identified 76 years after he was listed as missing in action.

The Department of Defense says skeletal remains found in a bag recovered two years ago in the South Pacific are those of Pfc. Dale W. Ross, whose surviving family lives in Ashland, Oregon.

RELATED

Long after they died, military sees surge in identifications of the fallen in past conflicts

Officials believe remains of nearly half of the 83,000 unidentified service members killed in World War II and more recent wars could be identified and returned to relatives.

The remains and the dog tags were found by an 8-year-old boy in the jungle and his family gave them to a visiting American tourist, asking her to help find the soldier's surviving family.

The woman, Donna Esposito, found Ross' nephew and niece and the family gave the bones to the military for analysis.

The trio traveled to the Solomon Islands in 2017.

In Other News

Lawmakers press VA for stronger rules against discrimination

Congressional Democrats and outside advocates say updated policies for the department are long overdue.

VA workers face more mandatory overtime amid record claims processing

The backlog of overdue disability claims is expected to keep rising over the next year.

Where the ‘Battleship’ board game originated

Historians trace its origins back to World War I.

VA again found homes for 38K struggling vets in 2023

Department outreach efforts have helped nearly 80,000 veterans since the start of 2022.

Keep soldiers out of our creek, farm owners tell Fort Liberty

There must be something in the water.

Load More