WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Jacob Cornsilk, 28, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for on June 16, 2026.
In the spring of 1942, Cornsilk was assigned to 31st Infantry 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. Cornsilk was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then imprisoned at the Cabanatuan Prisoner of War Camp #1.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Cornsilk died on Sept. 28, 1942, due to dysentery and malnutrition, and his remains were interred in Common Grave 438, though further analysis suggested he may also be associated with Common Grave 508.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Cornsilk's case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
For additional information on the War 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.