After close to eight decades, UDF Army Private First Class Robert L. Bryant, who went missing during World War II, has been identified, US military officials announced last week.
The identification, conducted by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), brings closure to his family and honors his service, according to CBS.
Bryant, at the time 23 years old, was assigned to Company B, 4th Ranger Battalion, a unit known as Darby's Rangers. This elite group, trained under Col. William Derby, was a precursor to today's United States Army Ranger. His battalion was active in the Mediterranean Theater, which included Italy, northern Africa, and the Middle East.
He was one of the 170,000 Allied servicemen who participated in Operation AVALANCHE, a series of amphibious landings in Italy from September 9 to 18, 1943.
After coming ashore, Bryant was engaged in combat near the Chiunzi Pass on the Sorrento Peninsula. During the operation, over 4,000 allied soldiers went missing and over 2,000 were killed.
On September 23, he was reported missing in action following an encounter with a German patrol near Pietre, Italy. His body was never recovered, and German forces did not list him as a prisoner of war. On July 19, 1949, the War Department declared him non-recoverable.
Bryant's name was inscribed on the Walls of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart for his service.
Following World War II, the American Graves Registration worked to recover missing military personnel. In 1947, unidentified remains were found in a cemetery in San Nicola, Italy. These remains were designated as X-152 Naples and buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.
DPAA historian found evidence linking Bryant to X-152
"In 2019, while studying unresolved American losses in Operation AVALANCHE, a DPAA historian compiled unit records, company morning reports and grave registration records that indicated Bryant was likely lost in the vicinity of the X-152 recovery location," the DPAA said in a statement.
"To identify Bryant’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial analysis," it read. "Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis."
The effort was supported by research from Descendants of World War II Rangers Inc., Associazione Salerno 1943, and the staff of the National Archives at College Park.
Bryant’s surviving family members have been notified of his identification. A rosette will be placed next to his name on the Walls of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, signifying that he has been accounted for. His remains will be buried with full military honors in April 2025.