GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The remains of a soldier from Grand Haven who was killed during World War II have been accounted for, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

U.S. Army Technician Fifth Grade Ell T. Simantz, 23, was killed in action in Papua New Guinea on Dec. 19, 1942. Shortly after his death, he was buried in Buna Village Cemetery in Papua New Guinea along with other American soldiers.

After the war, the military moved Simantz and thousands of other service members’ remains to the Philippines for burial. At the time, Simantz’s remains were unidentifiable and he was buried in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines without a name.

Simantz was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart, according to an obituary.

Following advances

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