Greenlawn Funeral Homes Hosting Service for Burial of World War II Soldier – Press Release

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (PRWEB)
July 02, 2021

A 21-year-old Missouri soldier who died while serving in World War II is returning home to be laid to eternal rest in Springfield, accompanied by burial services provided by Greenlawn Funeral Homes.

U.S. Army Pvt. James J. Cansler was a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. He was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division.

Cansler, born in Bolivar, MO, was reported missing in action on Dec. 19, 1944, after his unit was involved in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest in Vossenack, Germany. Cansler and other members of his company were working to secure a road and a section of the forest. He was last seen at the edge of the forest and was reported missing the next day.

After World War II, the American Graves Registration Command launched an investigation and search to track down the remains of American service members throughout Europe. They searched the Hürtgen area between 1946 and 1950 but did not locate Cansler’s remains. In 1951, Cansler was classified as “non-recoverable.” It was many years later when a historian working for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) realized a set of unidentified remains found in a minefield north of Vossenack in 1946 could belong to Cansler. These remains were buried in 1950 at Ardennes American Cemetery.

The remains were disinterred in June 2018 and taken to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. Scientists used dental and anthropological evidence, along with DNA evidence from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, to confirm Cansler’s identity on Jan. 29, 2020.

Because Cansler’s remains were not identified until 2020, his name was already listed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. Now that his remains have been accounted for, a rosette will be placed next to his name.

Cansler will be laid to eternal rest at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Springfield on July 7, 2021. Greenlawn Funeral Homes will be hosting a ceremony for the burial. Anyone interested in joining the burial procession is asked to line up along West Battlefield Road near Kansas Expressway at 9:30 a.m. Attendees can also proceed directly to the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at 5201 S. Southwood Rd. The service will begin at 10 a.m.

Anyone with questions about the procession or service is asked to call Greenlawn Funeral Homes at (417) 881-3000.

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