(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The remains of a U.S. soldier who died in Europe during World War II will be sent to Illinois for interment, officials announced.
Army Staff Sgt. Gerald R. Helms of Chicago had been assigned to Company E, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, in fall 1944. Part of Operation Market Garden, the 29-year-old was reported missing in action near Katerbosch, Netherlands, after he failed to return from a lone scouting mission Oct. 2.
His body was not found, and there was no evidence he had ever been captured. A presumptive finding of death was issued Oct. 3, 1945.
In October 2019, a Dutch citizen digging a trench in the front yard came upon human remains and military artifacts, according to a news release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Forensics experts concluded the remains belonged to Helms, and they were transferred to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for further examination and identification.
Helms will be buried in Elwood, Illinois. A date has not yet been determined.
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