West Virginia-born World War II veteran given proper burial after being identified 81 years later

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — After more than 80 years, a fallen World War II hero from West Virginia is finally home, and family members in both West Virginia and Alabama are making sure his legacy is never forgotten.

“We just appreciate him and his sacrifice for us,” said Frank Adkins, a family member to Pvt. Mack Kidd. “He had a daughter that he had only seen one time, and then he was killed. We need to appreciate all of the sacrifices that any military personnel that had made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Frank Adkins and his family in Alabama finally have closure after Pvt. Mack Kidd returned to the United States after being killed in World War II.

“The Army called in February to inform us that they had identified his body,” said Melinda Cleghorn, Pvt. Mack Kidd’s eldest granddaughter. “I didn’t believe it at first, I thought it was a scam.”

Nearly 200 vehicles followed the family and Pvt. Kidd as they paid their respects in Alabama, where the family wanted him to be laid to rest.

“It’s something you want to be a part of,” said Timothy Dempsey, an Army Veteran. “He was a young man who lost everything, and this is my way of saying ‘thank you, sir.'”

“The love and support that we felt is just unreal,” Cleghorn said. “We never imagined anything like this.”

That support echoes back where Pvt. Kidd is from, which is in Dry Branch, West Virginia.

“I can always relate their experience to the Vietnam War veterans,” said Jerry Mollohan, Commander of St. Albans VFW Post 6418. “I’m sure the same goes for the Afghanistan veterans and the Iraq veterans, and other veterans that have served in combat. That’s why I can relate to this soldier that is finally coming home.”

Even though it’s been over 80 years since Pvt. Kidd’s passing, his family is happy that he will finally be laid to rest next to his wife and his daughters, whom he hasn’t seen since the 1940s.

“I guess it’s good knowing even though my mom and her sister and them had passed on, it’s good for the descendants knowing that they recovered him and brought him back home,” Adkins said.