Remains of WWII Soldier Finally Returning to Central New York after 83 Years

It's been over 80 years since U.S. Army Pvt. Harland J. Hennessey was killed during World War II and buried overseas. Now, he's finally coming home.

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Pvt. Hennessey, from Boonville, died during one of the world's bloodiest wars. He served in the 803rd Engineer Battalion in aviation and was stationed in the Philippines when he lost his life in 1942.

While his community back and Boonville learned of his fate on July 10, 1943, his remains remained unaccounted for a long 82 years.

After 8 grueling decades, his family finally received closure. His remains were positively identified and he will finally come home.

What Happened to Harland Hennessey?

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced  that Pvt. Hennessey had been taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese during the Philippine Islands invasion.

The 24-year-old soldier was captured in Bataan following the surrender of American forces there on April 9, 1942. He was likely subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March, where American and Philippine soldiers were forced to walk 65 miles to the Prisoner of War camps in central Luzon.

Pvt. Hennessey was held at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp, a site where over 2,500 prisoners of war perished.

Cabanatuan was not only the the largest POW camp, it housed about 8,000 Allied prisoners of war from the Fall of Bataan. This led to overcrowding and dwindling resources to keep the prisoners alive.

With little water and food, many soldiers died of malaria, dysentery, and other brutal causes. Sadly, Hennessey was one of them. He died on November 1, 1942.

Identifying Pvt. Hennessey's Remains

The DPAA said the reason why Hennessey's remains weren't returned after the war was because he had been buried in a common grave upon his death.

Officially, he was laid to rest at Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 704, "but complications in the burial and recovery process precluded identifying his remains immediately following the war."

His remains were relocated in 1947 to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. Attempts to identify him were unsuccessful by the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), so he was interred as an unknown solider.

His name was also added to the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery.

Pvt. Hennessey remained unidentified for 71 years, when the DPAA launched the Cabanatuan Project in 2018. His remains were exhumed once more and underwent laboratory analysis for positive identification.

Scientists from the DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System were finally able to conclusively identify Hennessey on September 23, 2024 using data like dental records, circumstantial evidence, and other processes.

Bringing Pvt. Hennessey Home

Now that he's been accounted for, the process to bring the soldier home has started. Hennessey, who signed up for the war effort in 1941, is finally returning home after nearly 85 years.

His family received a "full briefing" and the military made information about him public.

The plan is to bring the soldier home to his final resting place in July. Those interested in learning about his funeral may contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.

Honoring Pvt. Hennessey

Following news of his death, his hometown of Boonville found ways to keep his memory alive during the search for his remains.

In 1945, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter (5538) named itself the Harland J. Hennessey VFW Post in his memory.

When Boonville also constructed a World War II memorial wall, his name was added to it.

It also should be noted that now that his remains have been accounted for, a rosette will be placed next to his name at the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery.

WIBX has reached out to the local VFW chapter for comment and will update the story with their response.