World War II Soldier To Be Laid To Rest In Gig Harbor

GIG HARBOR, WA — After 75 years, Donald E. Mangan will finally be laid to rest at a ceremony in Gig Harbor. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Mangan died September 17th, 1944 when his unit came under fire near Wettlingen, Germany. His remains could not be recovered and he was reported missing in action.

After the war, a unit tasked with recovering missing American personnel found a mass grave of soldiers from the 112th Infantry. Many were identified through dog-tags or personal items, but two remained unknown -- designated X-70 and X-71. They were buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetary as unknown soldiers.

Earlier this year, the Department of Defense disinterred the remains of "X-70" and sent them to a DPAA lab. In April, scientists were able to use dental analysis, alongside several other methods, to rule out other soldiers and successfully identified the remains as Mangan, 26, of Elkton South Dakota.

The Seattle Times reports a public ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday morning at Haven of Rest Memorial Park (8503 Highway 16 NW) where Mangan's brother is buried.

The DPAA estimates 72,652 service members are still unaccounted for from World War II.