GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The remains of a World War II soldier who died fighting the Japanese have been identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).
U.S. Army Pfc. Willard H. Brinks, 24, of Grand Rapids was killed in a battle that took place in present day Papua New Guinea in November of 1942.
Brinks was assigned to the Company K, 3rd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division which was deployed as part of an attempt to neutralize the Japanese threat to Port Moresby.
Brinks' unit was part of a flanking maneuver against the enemy defensive lines in the northern portion of the island.
Brinks was reported killed in action on the first day of the Allied attack on Nov. 22.
After the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Service conducted searches for missing American personnel and found a number of remains near where Brinks was killed. Until now, Brinks' remains could not be identified and he was declared non-recoverable in 1949.
The unidentifiable remains from the battles on Papua New Guinea were interred as Unknowns at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
Brinks' remains were identified through an investigation of these interred remains by DPAA.
Scientists at DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence to help identify Brinks's remains. Scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis to aid in the indetification.
The positive ID of Brinks was made in July of 2022 and announced on May 15, 2023.
A rosette will be placed next to Brinks' name on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial to indicate he has been accounted for.
A burial for Brinks is set for May 19 in Grand Rapids. For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
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