Remains of WWII soldier missing since 1945 return home

The remains of Cecil Harris were honored at a solemn Tennessee funeral on Friday, August 29, 2014. A private during WWII, Harris went missing in France on January 2nd, 1945 during a ferocious fire fight with the Germans. He was 19 at the time. In 2003 hikers discovered a human skull in Dambach, France, near the German border. Upon excavation of the site, Harris’s dog tags and additional remains were found in a shallow grave. DNA analysis was used to make a positive identification. Harris’s remains will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on October 22nd.

Private Harris was posthumously awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

The remains of Private First Class Cecil Harris were found last year by a French national under a large rock with a crudely engraved “H” on it. U.S. officials excavated the burial site on hilltop near the French/German border and found Harris’ dog tags.

Harris was just 19 when he went missing in action during World War II. His platoon came under attack and had to make a hasty withdrawal, according to a release from the Tennessee Department of Veterans. When unit regrouped, Harris was gone.

Read the full story: Shelbyville Soldier’s Remains Return 70 Years After He Went Missing (Link no longer available)

Read more on Harris’s story: 70 Years Later a Soldier Returns Home