BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A World War II Marine who was killed in action was interred on Wednesday, July 2, after his remains were identified and brought back to Louisiana.

Private First Class Harry LeBert was laid to rest at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery in Jennings.

“Today, we laid to rest one of our nation’s heroes, who at the age of 24, left behind his family to defend the freedoms that we hold dear today,” said Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LDVA) Secretary Charlton J. Meginley. “It gives me great pride in knowing that at our Southwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery, PFC LeBert will be cared for in perpetuity, which is a small token of the appreciation and honor that he is due.”

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency helped identify LeBert’s remains.

According to the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, LeBert took part in the Pacific Campaign, including an assault on Tarawa. LeBert was hit during the assault while trying to make it ashore. He would later return to the field of battle at the Battle of Saipan. That is where he was killed by a mortar barrage.

According to LDVA, LeBert was temporarily buried in a trench grave by his fallen comrades until his remains were recovered. His remains were moved to the Philippines after being identified as “X-21.” LeBert’s identity remained a mystery until the advancement of forensic science. In 2022, DNA was extracted and matched to surviving relatives.

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