Army Pfc. Arthur W. Crossland, Jr., a native of Columbia, was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 242nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division in the European Theater. He was killed in action March 1945, at age 19, while engaged in battle with German forces near Althorn, France, during Operation NORDWIND.
Crossland was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Aug. 21, 2024, after his remains were exhumed in July 2022 from Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France, for laboratory analysis and identification.
The Past Conflict Repatriations Branch, under the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky, plays a key role in the process of locating Family members of missing Soldiers from WWII, the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
The process begins with locating the Family member most closely related to the missing Soldier, known as the primary next of kin, followed by a request for Family reference samples or DNA, which are used as a main source in identifying remains. Once a Soldier has been identified by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, the PCRB notifies and briefs the Family about the results of historical, forensic and DNA reports, benefits and the mortuary process including burial with full military honors.
For additional information about Pfc. Crossland go to: https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/ID-Announcements/Article/3987789/soldier-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-crossland-a/
