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After nearly a century of being buried as “unknown,” the remains of a World War II soldier have finally been identified. His family is looking forward to bringing him home later this year.

Identification of Unnamed World War II Soldier

Over 80 years after his death in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, the remains of a U.S. Army Private 1st Class Harry Jerele have been identified. He succumbed to pneumonia in the Philippines at the age of 26.

Jerele was laid to rest as “unknown” at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM). His final resting place will now be in his home state of Illinois in October.

It wasn’t until 2020 that forensic scientists were able to assist in the identification of the remains and their return to the families. On April 18, it was confirmed that Jerele was one of those originally buried as “Unknown.” Hailing from the small town of Berkeley, he was born on February 1 and was one of the seven children of Leopold Jerle and Mary Flori-Jerele.

Jerele’s niece, Rosemary Dillon, expressed her joy that he was finally identified, calling it a “miracle.” The family had been searching for his remains, making this identification a “joyous occasion” as they can now lay him to rest in his homeland.

During World War II, Jerele and his comrades from Company B, 192nd Tank Battalion, which consisted of 104 Illinoisan soldiers, served as some of the longest-serving U.S. prisoners of war.

The unit faced 43 losses during the war, including 28 deaths from wounds, illnesses, and infections. Seven individuals perished on Japanese POW ships known as “Hell ships” before sinking. Five were reported missing in action, while eight were killed in action.

Thirty-one Illinois Army National Guard soldiers served in Headquarters Company, 192nd Tank Battalion, with nineteen succumbing to illnesses, injuries, or sickness, one dying on a Japanese ship, and one killed in action.

The Illinois National Guard states that the members of Company B, 192nd Tank Battalion, primarily from Maywood, were high school students who knew they would be drafted into the Army following the federal draft law of 1940.

These young men enlisted in the National Guard to fulfill their military duty upon learning of the government’s plan to federalize National Guard troops for a one-year military service period.

“On behalf of the State of Illinois, I want to express my gratitude to everyone involved in bringing Harry Jerele back to his family in Illinois,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. “The heroic story of Maywood’s B Company, 192nd Tank Battalion lives on thanks to those who have never forgotten the sacrifices these Illinois Soldiers made for their country.”

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Harry Jerele’s War Experience

After enlisting in the military in September 1940, Jerele served in the Philippines with Company B, 192nd Tank Battalion, until the American surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on April 9. At that point, he was taken prisoner.

On that day, General Edward P. King of the United States surrendered to Japanese General Masahrau Homma, who then led approximately 75,000 prisoners, including 2,000 Americans and 63,000 Filipinos, on a 65-mile Death March to the Cabanatuan prison camp.

The circumstances surrounding the lives and deaths of U.S. POWs at Cabanatuan were complex, as were the efforts to identify and disinter their remains following the war.

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