Lost in 1944, WWII Soldier returns home

INDIANA, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES

05.15.2026

Story by Daniela Vestal 

U.S. Army Human Resources Command

FORT KNOX, Ky. – The remains of U.S. Army Pfc. John A. Walko, 20, of Commodore, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, will be interred May 20, in Oakland Cemetery in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Rairigh-Bence Funeral Home will coordinate services and interment.

In 1944, Walko was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. He was reportedly killed in action on Oct. 20 after his company encountered German enemy fire in Aachen, Germany. His remains were not accounted for after the war.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency accounted for Walko on July 16, 2025.
For more information on DPAA’s efforts to locate and identify Walko, please visit: [https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/ID-Announcements/Article/4281721/soldier-accounted-for-from-korean-war-patton-m/](https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/ID-Announcements/Article/4475527/soldier-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-walko-j/)

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 Rairigh-Bence Funeral Home at 724-349-2000.

• Date Taken: 05.15.2026
• Date Posted: 05.15.2026 16:15
• Story ID: 565433
• Location: INDIANA, PENNSYLVANIA, US
• Hometown: COMMODORE, PENNSYLVANIA, US