26-03-2025
World War II POW/MIA from Pennsylvania identified after 80 years
WASHINGTON (WTAJ) — A Pennsylvania man who was killed in a Tokyo prison fire during World War II was identified and accounted for nearly 80 years after his death.
U.S. Army Air Forces Cpl. Glenn H. Hodak of Cambridge Springs was only 23 years old when he was captured and died in the prison fire May 26, 1945, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced.
While Hodak was accounted for Sept. 25, 2024, it wasn't until recently that his family was fully briefed, allowing more details about his service to be released.
In March 1945, Hodak was a member of the 93rd Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, when the B-29 'Superfortress' he was a gunner on was shot down on a mission to Tokyo. The agency said that Hodak was initially reported MIA (Missing In Action), and it was later learned he was captured as a POW (Prisoner Of War).
Central Pennsylvania WW II Lt. accounted for nearly 80 years later
Sadly, Hodak's remains were not immediately recovered nor identified after the war.
American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. servicemen throughout the Pacific Theater. AGRS anticipated the recovery of 62 service members in early 1946. Hodak, and 38 others, however, were unable to be identified and ultimately entered as unknowns in the Manilla American Cemetery and Memorial, in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.
The Agency reports that in March and April 2022, those 39 Unknowns were sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
Using dental and anthropological analysis along with circumstantial evidence, the Agency was able to identify Hodak's remains will be returned to Pennsylvania and buried in Spring Creek in May.
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