The soldier’s remains were found in February 2022 near the Villers-sur-Fère cemetery in northwestern France, where heavy fighting between the US 42nd Infantry Division and German forces took place in July 1918.
An unidentified American soldier killed in World War I in France was buried on Wednesday in the north of the country where he fought German forces some 105 years ago.
That soldier’s remains were found in February 2022 near the Villers-sur-Fère cemetery, where intense fighting took place in July 1918 between soldiers from the US 42nd Infantry Division, called the “Rainbow Division”, and German forces.
Although his identification plate was illegible, insignia and pieces of uniform found near the bones made it possible to establish who the American was.
“After a long period of time, he was incarcerated. He was alone for 105 years and now he is with his comrades in arms,” said Hubert “Bert” Calaud, a former Marine and head of the Seringes-et-Nestle American Legion. The cemetery where the soldier was buried with a military ceremony.
It is the first time since 1988 that an American soldier killed in World War I has been buried in France, said “Bert” Caillaud.
Many Americans participated in the 1918 counteroffensive that halted the German advance on Paris in the “Second Battle of the Marne”.
The Inspector General of French infantry, General Eric Bellot des Minières, said, “The Americans mobilized more than 4 million men. France lost about 120,000 killed, 230,000 wounded and 5,000 missing.”
