TUCSON, Ariz. — The remains of a prisoner of war from Arizona who died during World War II have been identified more than 80 years after his death.
U.S. Army Pfc. Lex L. Lillard of Tucson was among the many service members who were captured after the U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese in 1942, according to Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
These prisoners of war were subjected to the infamous 65-mile Bataan Death March, a brutal war crime in which thousands of American and Filipino soldiers did not survive. Those who did were later held at the Cabanatuan POW camp.
Prison camp records indicate Lillard died in July 1942 and was buried in the camp's cemetery in an area marked as "Common Grave 312."
Richard McQuoid, Lillard's nephew, said he never knew his uncle but heard from his mom about how she was waiting for DNA results to identify her brother.
"They finally knew several years ago before his mom passed that they located the grave," Mary McQuoid, Richard's wife, said. "But they knew he was at that camp, so they were assuming he was there."
After the war ended, twelve sets of human remains were exhumed and identified out of Grave 312 but many others remained unidentified.
In 2016, Lillard's medals and a flag were presented to Richard's mother.
"She had closure, but she knows she wasn't going to be able to see him, so she told us make sure we put him and her together," Richard said.
In 2018, the accounting agency disinterred the other sets of unknown remains and began conducting tests to match them to a soldier's name. A mitochondrial DNA analysis helped to finally identify a set of the remains as belonging to Lillard.
"We need to pay him with every honor there is in the world because he gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country and in a horrible way," Mary said.
Arrangements are now in the works to get Lillard's remains back to Oklahoma where Richard and Mary live, where they'll hold services and place his remains next to his sister's on the McQuoid's property.
"He's coming home, and I just wish there was so many others that could come home," Mary said.
His name can be found listed alongside the names of other fallen service members on the Tucson Arizona World War II Memorial in Armory Park.
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