An Army private who went missing in World War II was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors Friday, after his remains were recovered seven decades following the war.
Bernard Gavrin of Brooklyn, New York, was 29 when he fought in the Battle of Saipan in the Pacific theater in 1944.
Gavrin was reported missing in action July 7, 1944, after Japanese forces launched a suicide assault, known as a banzai attack, on Gavrin's unit, the 105th Infantry Regiment. A day later, investigators issued a presumptive finding of death, and military officials concluded in fall 1948 that his remains were non-recoverable.
In recent years, excavations on Saipan by the Japanese nonprofit group Kuentai have turned up the remains of American and Japanese soldiers.
Military officials say Gavrin's remains were uncovered last year along with three other American soldiers and the dog tags of another solider. Garvin was identified through dental records and a DNA analysis that matched his nephew, David Rogers, 82, of Delray Beach, Florida.
"We are hoping that this story will also lead to the remains of others that have still never been confirmed, and they will one day enjoy the same honor that we are enjoying today," Rodgers said at the burial Friday afternoon.
Rodgers, who last saw his uncle at the age of 8, is the only living relative who met Garvin before his deployment.
"This story is a happy story with a happy ending," Rodgers said.
