Remains of World War II POW who died in the Philippines returned home to California
The remains of a World War II service member who died in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in the Philippines in 1942 have been brought home to California
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The long-unidentified remains of a World War II service member who died in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in the Philippines in 1942 were returned home to California on Tuesday.
The remains of U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. 1st Class Charles R. Powers, 18, of Riverside, were flown to Ontario International Airport east of Los Angeles for burial at Riverside National Cemetery on Thursday, 82 years to the day of his death.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced in June that Powers was accounted for on May 26, 2023, after analysis of his remains, including use of DNA.
Powers was a member of 28th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippines in late 1941, leading to surrender of U.S. and Filipino forces on the Bataan peninsula in April 1942 and Corregidor Island the following month.
Powers was reported captured in the Bataan surrender and was among those subjected to the 65-mile (105-kilometer) Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan prison camp where more than 2,500 POWs died, the agency said.
Powers died on July 18, 1942, and was buried with others in a common grave. After the war, three sets of unidentifiable remains from the grave were reburied at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. They were disinterred in 2018 for laboratory analysis.