WWII Soldier from Indiana Finally Identified After 80 Years
The remains of U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Gene F. Walker, a tank commander from Indiana who died in World War II, have been identified nearly 79 years after his death. Walker was commanding an M4 Sherman tank in Germany in November 1944 when it was struck by an anti-tank round, causing a fire that is believed to have killed him instantaneously. The surviving crew was unable to remove Walker from the tank due to heavy fighting. His remains were identified based on anthropological analysis, circumstantial evidence, and mitochondrial DNA. Walker's remains will be buried in San Diego, California, in early 2024. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has accounted for 1,543 missing WWII soldiers since 1973, with over 72,000 still missing.