Remains of WWII Soldier Identified After 80 Years to Be Returned to Louisiana

The remains of U.S. Army Pvt. Blanchard E. Pruitt, who died as a prisoner of war during World War II, have been identified and will be returned to Louisiana after more than 80 years. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) confirmed the identification in March 2025. Pruitt, a 19-year-old from Florien, Louisiana, died on January 1, 1943, in a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines.

Pruitt was captured during the Battle of Bataan in 1942 and forced to endure the 65-mile Bataan Death March along with more than 70,000 American and Filipino soldiers. He was later held at Cabanatuan prison camp, where thousands of prisoners perished due to disease, starvation, and abuse. His unidentified remains were interred at a cemetery in Manila for decades.

Family members of Pruitt had long sought answers regarding his fate. His niece, Sherry Pruitt, explained that her grandparents were unaware of his death for nearly nine months after his capture. “They knew he was missing and captured, but they didn’t know he died until they received a letter,” she said.

According to family accounts, Pruitt enlisted in the U.S. Army at just 17 years old, likely misrepresenting his age to join earlier than his older brother. “A lot of boys did that at the time. They would say, ‘I’m 18,’ because soldiers were desperately needed,” Sherry noted.

The final identification was made possible through a DNA sample provided by Pruitt’s nephew, Danny, at the request of his sister Sheila. “That’s how they found his remains. They are 100 percent sure that he is ours,” Sherry confirmed.

Pruitt, the second eldest of eight siblings, will be buried next to his mother in Louisiana. His family has planned a wake and burial service to honor him. Sherry expressed that this long-awaited moment will provide closure to younger generations. “They’re all gone now, so we are the ones who will finally get closure,” she said.

The identification and repatriation of Pruitt’s remains are part of ongoing DPAA efforts to account for missing U.S. service members from past conflicts. Similar identifications have been made in recent years, underscoring advances in DNA technology and forensic science.

Pruitt’s case reflects the broader history of thousands of American soldiers who died in captivity during World War II. The Bataan Death March and subsequent imprisonment in Cabanatuan remain documented as among the war’s most harrowing episodes.

He will be laid to rest in September, more than 80 years after his death, bringing an end to his family’s decades-long search for answers.

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