Army Pfc. St. Clair M. Gibson was a "Buffalo Soldier" with the 371st Infantry Regiment, part of the segregated 92nd Infantry Division. These Black service members were on the front lines, fighting to push German forces out of Italy even while facing segregation back home. On Nov. 18, 1944, Gibson went missing during heavy combat near Monte Canala. Because the terrain around Seravezza was so steep and dangerous, his unit couldn't recover him before the battle lines shifted. After the war, investigators found remains on that battlefield, but 1940s technology wasn't enough to identify them. They labeled him "Unknown X-272 Castelfiorentino" and buried him in the cemetery at Impruneta. By 1949, the Army basically gave up, declaring him "non-recoverable." Everything changed in 2017 when researchers decided to exhume "Unknown X-272." Using modern DNA and dental records, they finally confirmed it was Gibson on May 7, 2025. While his name remains engraved in the stone at the Florence American Cemetery in Impruneta Italy, Gibson finally went home. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on March 10, 2026.
| Date Taken: | 04.19.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.20.2026 08:11 |
| Photo ID: | 9626000 |
| VIRIN: | 260420-A-A4479-1001 |
| Resolution: | 608x1065 |
| Size: | 88.51 KB |
| Location: | IT |
| Web Views: | 3 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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New Haven soldier identified 81 years after vanishing in the Italian mountains finally goes home
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