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FORT KNOX, Ky. – The remains of U.S. Army Pvt. Blanchard E. Pruitt, 19, who died as a prisoner of war during World War II, will be interred Sept. 30 in Mitchell Cemetery, in Many, Louisiana. Warren Meadows Funeral Home will coordinate graveside services preceding the interment.
Pruitt was a member of the Medical Detachment, 31st Infantry Regiment, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands. He was among thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. According to prison camp and other historical records, Pruitt died on Jan. 1, 1943, and was buried in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Grave 822.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency accounted for Pruitt on March 17, 2025.
For more information on DPAA’s efforts to locate and identify Pvt. Pruitt’s remains, please visit: https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/ID-Announcements/Article/4250961/soldier-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-pruitt-b/
U.S. Army Human Resources Command’s Past Conflict Repatriations Branch plays a vital role in the process of identifying, locating and contacting subsequent generation family members of Soldiers missing or killed in action during WWII and the Korean War to positively identify previously undiscovered or unknown remains.
Media interested in covering and/or obtaining more information about the funeral and interment should contact Warren Meadows Funeral Home, 318-256-3471.
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2025 09:45 |
| Story ID: | 548890 |
| Location: | FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | FLORIEN, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, World War II POW Lost in 1943 To Be Finally Laid to Rest in Louisiana, by William Costello, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
