WW II Soldier Killed In 1944 Finally Comes Home To LA For Burial

LOS ANGELES, CA — Funeral services will be held this week for a U.S. Army staff sergeant and Los Angeles native who was killed during World War II but whose remains were not identified until earlier this year.

Sgt. David Rosenkrantz, 28, was killed Sept. 28, 1944, while on a mission to disrupt German defensive lines in the Netherlands. His platoon was occupying a farm near the town of Groesbeek when they were overrun by the German infantry.

Rosenkrantz and other paratroopers tried to hide behind trees and buildings, but when he rose from his position, "enemy gunfire erupted and Rosenkrantz was killed," according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. "Due to enemy fire and the proximity to enemy troops, Rosenkrantz's remains could not be recovered."

According to the agency, the remains of service members killed in the area were later collected by a Canadian team, and several that could not be identified were buried as unknown soldiers in cemeteries around Europe. A separate team in the area subsequently found Rosenkrantz's ID tags.

Last year, DPAA researchers traced his remains to the Netherlands American Cemetery. His remains were exhumed last June and teams were able to eventually confirm their identity through DNA analysis, according to DPAA.

Rosenkrantz is scheduled to be buried with full military honors at noon Friday at Riverside National Cemetery. According to the Fields of Honor Database, Rosenkrantz had four brothers, all of whom served in World War II and all of whom are also buried at Riverside National Cemetery.

City News Service; Photo courtesy of Phil Rosenkrantz