Many soldiers who died in battle during WWII would never return to their loved ones as either nobody was able to identify them or they were missing in action. But for Army Tech 5th Grade John E. Bainbridge, the long wait to be brought back home is finally over as his remains have been identified and were buried in Monona, 77 years after his death.
His remains were hastily buried on the battlefield and could not be positively identified when he was reburied in early 1943 at a Buna cemetery. Bainbridge's remains were designated "Unknown X-135" when he was reinterred in 1947 in the Philippines at the Manila American Cemetery.
Bainbridge's remains were exhumed Feb. 22, 2017, and sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency for identification using mitochondrial DNA technology and other procedures. The agency sought out Cunningham and other relatives to provide DNA samples to assist the investigation.
Bainbridge's funeral was conducted with full military honors. Brig. Gen. Joane Mathews, Wisconsin's deputy adjutant general for Army, presented the U.S. flag to Cunningham on behalf of the entire Wisconsin National Guard.
(Image credit: Master Sgt. David Fannon)