Hero's Journey Ends: WWII Soldier Returns Home After 82 Years

The remains of US Army Air Forces Pvt. 1st Class Charles R. Powers, who died in a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines during WWII, were returned to California. Analysis, including DNA, identified him. Powers, 18, captured during Bataan surrender, faced the brutal Bataan Death March before dying in 1942. His remains, initially buried in a common grave, were flown to Ontario for interment at Riverside National Cemetery.

The long-unidentified remains of US Army Air Forces Pvt. 1st Class Charles R. Powers, who died in a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines during World War II, have finally returned home to California.

Powers, just 18, was captured during the Bataan surrender in 1942 and endured the notorious Bataan Death March. He was held at the Cabanatuan prison camp, where he ultimately died and was buried in a common grave. Initially unidentifiable, his remains were exhumed and analyzed with modern DNA techniques, confirming his identity in May 2023.

In a solemn homecoming, his remains arrived at Ontario International Airport for burial at Riverside National Cemetery, precisely 82 years after his death.

(With inputs from agencies.)