Manassas soldier’s WWII remains identified

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — The remains of an Army soldier from Manassas missing since World War II have been recovered and are being returned to Virginia.

The Pentagon said Wednesday that the remains of Pfc. Richard Bean were recovered last year by Japanese groups. The Defense Department’s Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command was able to identify the remains through dental records and a DNA analysis that matched a family member.

Bean was 24 went he went missing in July 1944 in the battle of Saipan after Japanese forces launched a suicide assault on Bean’s unit, the 105th Infantry Regiment.

Bean will be buried in Quantico with full military honors on Oct. 3.

More than 83,000 U.S. servicemembers remain unaccounted for, mostly from World War II. Pentagon efforts routinely account for dozens of missing servicemembers annually.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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