WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Erwin H. Schopp, 30, of Plymouth, Nebraska, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 24, 2025.
In late 1941, Schopp was a member of Headquarters Battery, 59th Coastal Artillery Regiment, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Schopp was among those reported captured when U.S. forces on Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese. He was subsequently held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Schopp died on Jan. 1, 1943, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 822.
Schopp's family recently received their full briefing on is identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and recovered four sets of remains from Common Grave 822. Due to complications in the burial and recovery process, Schopp was unable to be identified following the war. He was declared non recoverable on Dec. 2, 1949, and buried as an Unknown at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM).
In 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 822 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis. In 2020, remains associated with Common Grave 836 were disinterred for analysis. Physical evidence confirmed overlaps between the two graves in the historical record.
To identify Schopp’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis as well as mitochondrial genome sequencing data.
Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Schopp’ grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Schopp will be buried in Plymouth, Nebraska, on a date yet to be determined.
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 Schopp's initial ID announcement here: Schopp.