After being missing in action for nearly eight decades, a U.S. Army soldier from Massachusetts who fought in World War II has finally been accounted for. Private Wing O. Hom, of Boston, disappeared during intense combat against German forces near Cisterna di Latina, Italy, in February 1944. He was just 20 years old.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced on Tuesday that Hom's remains were identified in April of this year. The identification was made possible through a combination of anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA testing.
Serving in Company B, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, Private Hom was engaged in fierce fighting when he went missing. His body was never recovered, and there were no records of him being held as a prisoner of war. He was officially declared deceased in February 1945.
Unidentified remains discovered near Ponte Rotto, Italy, approximately three miles west of Cisterna di Latina, were initially interred at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy. Decades later, a DPAA historian researching unresolved American losses in the Italian campaign determined that these remains could potentially belong to Private Hom. The remains were subsequently disinterred in 2021 and sent for analysis, ultimately leading to his identification.
Private Hom's remains will finally be laid to rest in Brooklyn, New York, on October 11, 2024, providing closure for his family after decades of uncertainty.
