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WWII soldier returned home 80 years later; public services soon
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DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – A soldier who has been listed as Missing in Action for over 80 years will finally be laid to rest here in Dayton soon.
WWII U.S. Army Pvt. James G. Loterbaugh, from Hocking (Athens), was M.I.A. since Dec. 1944.
According to the VFW Department of Ohio, Loterbaugh's remains have been recovered, identified and returned to his family.
A motorcade escort took him from Dayton International Airport to Routsong Funeral Home.
'Welcome home, Pvt. Loterbaugh. God bless,' wrote the VFW Department of Ohio.
In the war, Loterbaugh served in Company C, the 774th Tank Battalion. In Dec. 1944, he was a crewmate on a M4 Sherman tank. On Dec. 11 his platoon became separated from the rest of the company during a battle in the Hürtgen Forest (Strass, Germany). By noon, the entire platoon was reported as Missing in Action.
The Germans did not report Loterbaugh as a P.O.W. The following year, the War Department issued a presumptive finding of death.
Loterbaugh was identified by DPAA from DNA and anthropological analysis. He was accounted for on Sept. 20, 2024. His name on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery will now have a rosette to show he has been found.
His public services will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, June 2, at Routsong Funeral Home. (2100 E. Stroop Rd., Kettering.)
A private, family-only service will be held on June 3. Loterbaugh will receive full military rites and burial at Dayton National Cemetery.
To read Private James G. Loterbaugh's obituary, click here.
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