Bataan Death March, POW camp claimed Williamston man. His remains finally rest in US soil

WILLIAMSTON TWP. — Family members and others gathered Saturday, May 3, to inter the remains of a Webberville antheral who survived the infamous Bataan Death March during World War II, lone to dice successful a Japanese captive of warfare campy months later.

U.S. Army Air Corps Sgt. James Swartz's remains were identified 80 years aft the war, successful August 2024, and returned to Michigan for burial successful Williamston Township.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency made the announcement of Swartz's recognition successful November 2024.

Swartz was laid to remainder astatine Summit Cemetery, with astir 40 radical representing 5 generations of his family, according to Lori Byrnes.

The work see a grant guard.

How Swartz ended up buried successful the Philippines

Swartz was a subordinate of 17th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, erstwhile Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands during World War II.

The unit, activated successful the Philippines connected Oct. 1, 1941, with 2 attached squadrons equipped with P-35 and P-40 aircraft. By precocious successful December the crushed unit were absorbed by infantry units and immoderate pilots were evacuated to Australia. The remaining pilots continued operations successful the Philippines with the fewer planes that were left, according to the Army Air Corps Museum.

Intense warring led to Allied troops' surrender of the Bataan peninsula connected April 9, 1942, and Corregidor Island connected May 6, 1942, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said.

He was reported captured erstwhile U.S. forces successful Bataan surrendered to the Japanese.

The captured work members were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March, and past held astatine the Cabanatuan POW Camp No. 1, wherever much than 2,500 POWs perished during the war, Swartz among them, the accounting bureau said.

When did Swartz die?

According to situation campy and different records, Swartz died Sept. 23, 1942, and was buried successful the section Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery successful Common Grave 434. He was 21.

"Though interred arsenic an Unknown successful (Manilla American Cemetery and Memorial), Swartz’s sedate was meticulously cared for implicit the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission," the accounting bureau said successful a quality release. "Today, Sgt. Swartz is memorialized connected the Walls of the Missing astatine the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial successful the Philippines. A rosette volition beryllium placed adjacent to his sanction to bespeak helium has been accounted for."

How were Swartz's remains identified

In April 2019, arsenic portion of the Cabanatuan Project, DPAA exhumed the remains associated with Common Grave 434 and sent them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

"Systematically moving done the records of Unknowns that had primitively been buried successful implicit 300 communal graves, the task proposes disinterring groups of Unknowns based connected the grounds surrounding their archetypal communal sedate associations. Because of extended commingling, the Department of Defense is collecting DNA Family Reference Samples for implicit 2,700 casualties from the camp, some resolved and unresolved," the accounting bureau said.

Scientists utilized dental and anthropological analysis, arsenic good arsenic circumstantial evidence, to place Swartz's remains. The Armed Forced Medical Examiner System besides utilized mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected Lansing State Journal: James Swartz died successful the Philippines during WWII. Now helium rests successful Summit Cemetery