BELOIT, Wis. –
After 77 years, a Beloit family will have closure after the remains of Army Sgt. Robert McCarville returns home on Thursday.
McCarville was killed in action on December 5, 1942, while attacking enemy positions near Cape Endaiadere, during the months-long Battle of Buna-Gona. The fighting was so intense, his unit was not able to recover the 24-year-old's body at the time.
Nearly two weeks after his death, his platoon leader says McCarville was buried in a temporary grave before being moved to a small cemetery on the beach at the cape. It was subsequently moved several times before finally being identified through dental and anthropological records as well as DNA analysis.
Earlier this year, Defense Dept.'s POW/MIA Accounting Agency successfully identified McCarville's remains and his body is set to arrive in Wisconsin on Thursday.
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