Teen U.S. soldier accounted for decades after being killed in WWII

A 19-year-old worker who was killed during World War II has been accounted for, subject officials said Thursday. 

U.S. Army Pvt. Jeremiah P. Maroney was assigned to an anti-tank institution successful Europe during nan war, nan Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said successful a news release. Maroney, primitively from Chicago, was portion of nan 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division.

Shortly earlier midnight connected New Year's Eve successful 1944, German forces launched a awesome violative successful nan mountains of Alsace-Lorraine, France, surging complete Allied defenses on nan separator of France and Germany, U.S. officials said. The violative turned into a monolithic conflict stretching complete 40 miles. The conflict raged for weeks, pinch Mahoney's portion resupplying and reinforcing his regiment adjacent nan French colony of Reipertswiller. 

On Jan. 17, 1945, Mahoney was killed amid nan fighting. His assemblage could not beryllium recovered, and nan War Department issued a "Finding of Death" a twelvemonth later. 

U.S. Army Pvt. Jeremiah P. Mahoney. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

In 1946, nan American Graves Registration Command began looking for missing American unit successful nan area wherever Mahoney had past been seen. In August 1947, section unit recovered a group of remains from a wood adjacent Reipertswiller. The remains, and clothing and instrumentality recovered pinch them, were analyzed, but an recognition could not beryllium made. The remains were buried arsenic "Unknown" successful nan Ardennes American Cemetery successful Belgium, and his sanction was recorded connected nan Walls of nan Missing astatine nan Epinal American Cemetery successful France. 

Decades later, nan DPAA began investigating missing soldiers who died successful nan Reipertswiller area. They believed that nan chartless remains could beryllium Mahoney's. In August 2022, nan remains were exhumed and transferred to nan DPAA Laboratory for analysis. Scientists utilized aggregate forms of DNA testing, arsenic good arsenic anthropological and circumstantial evidence, to study nan remains. 

On May 6, 2024, nan DPAA positively identified nan remains arsenic Mahoney's. 

A rosette has been placed beside his sanction connected nan Walls of nan Missing to bespeak that he has been accounted for. His remains will beryllium buried astatine Arlington National Cemetery connected a day to beryllium determined, nan DPAA said. 

In:
• World War II
• Chicago
• France