U.S. Army Pvt. Jeremiah P. Maroney, a 19-year-old soldier who was killed during World War II, has finally been accounted for, military officials announced. Maroney, originally from Chicago, was part of the 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in Europe during the war. He was killed on January 17, 1945, during a major offensive launched by German forces in Alsace-Lorraine, France. His body could not be recovered, and a year later, the War Department issued a “Finding of Death.”
In 1946, the American Graves Registration Command began searching for missing American personnel in the area where Maroney was last seen. In August 1947, they recovered a set of remains from a forest near Reipertswiller, but an identification could not be made at that time. The remains were buried as “Unknown” in the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium, with Maroney’s name recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Epinal American Cemetery in France. Decades later, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) began investigating missing soldiers in the Reipertswiller area, believing that the unknown remains could be Maroney’s.
In August 2022, the remains were exhumed and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis. Scientists used various forms of DNA testing, as well as anthropological and circumstantial evidence, to study the remains. Finally, on May 6, 2024, the DPAA positively identified the remains as Maroney’s. A rosette has been placed beside his name on the Walls of the Missing to signify that he has been accounted for. His remains will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on a date to be determined. This long-awaited closure brings peace and recognition to Maroney’s family and loved ones, honoring his sacrifice and service during World War II.
