Home / War and Conflict / WWII Airman's Remains Come Home After 80 Years
WWII Airman's Remains Come Home After 80 Years
30 Mar
Summary
- Airman Bennett H. Waters' remains identified after 80 years.
- He was lost as a POW during World War II transport.
- Remains found after being buried as 'Unknowns' for decades.
More than 80 years after his death in World War II, U.S. Air Forces Pvt. Bennett H. Waters will finally return home to his family in Blackshear, Georgia. Authorities confirmed his identity through anthropological and DNA analysis of remains initially buried as unknowns.
Waters, 26, was captured as a POW in the Philippines in 1942. He survived the bombing of the transport ship Oryoku Maru in December 1944 but was later lost when another ship he was placed on, the Enoura Maru, was attacked and sunk. He was reported to have died on January 9, 1945.
His remains were among those recovered after the war but could not be identified at the time. After being disinterred in 2022 for further analysis, a set of remains was finally identified as Pvt. Waters. His name is currently listed on the Walls of the Missing in Manila, and a rosette will be added to signify he has been accounted for. He will be buried in his hometown at a future date.
