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Soldier Missing in Action from WWII Identified

 

            The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being buried with full military honors. 

            Army Pfc. William F. Stehlin of Dayton, Ky., will be buried on Aug. 11 in Arlington National Cemetery.  On Nov. 20, 1944, Stehlin, as part of the 333^rd Infantry Regiment, 84^th Infantry Division, went missing near Süggerath while his unit conducted a largely successful offensive to capture towns in Western Germany.

 In 1951, after an extensive search, his remains were determined unrecoverable by U.S. Army Graves Registration personnel.

            In 2009, a German citizen digging in a wooded area near Süggerath, discovered a grave with the remains of two individuals, military-related equipment and identification tags. 

            Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command laboratory also used dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.  The other individual, Pfc. Edward L. O’Toole, was identified and buried on July 15 in San Bruno, Calif.