WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Cpl. Glenn H. Hodak, 23, of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 25, 2024.
Hodak's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In March 1945, Hodak was a member of the 93rd Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, when the B-29 “Superfortress” he was a gunner aboard was shot down on a mission to Tokyo, Japan. Initially reported as missing in action, investigators later learned that Hodak was captured and perished in the Tokyo Prison Fire on May 26, 1945. His remains were not immediately recovered or identified after the war.
Following the close of hostilities, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. servicemen throughout the Pacific Theater. Based on information from the Japanese government, AGRS personnel anticipated the recovery of 62 sets of remains from the Tokyo Military Prison in early 1946. Over the following three years AGRS conducted several investigations into the Prison, identifying 25 of the 65 recovered servicemembers, one being a repatriated Japanese unknown. After various attempts to identify the remaining 39 sets were unsuccessful, they were ultimately interred as an Unknowns in the Manilla American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM).
In March and April 2022, the 39 Unknowns from the Tokyo Prison Fire were disinterred from MACM and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Hodak’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Hodak’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
Hodak will be buried in Spring Creek, Pennsylvania, in May 2025.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
DPAA is grateful to the ABMC and the United States Army for their partnership in this mission.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving their country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, https://www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaa, https://www.instagram.com/dodpaa/, or https://x.com/dodpaa.
Read Hodak's initial ID announcement here: Hodak.