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Remains from WWII identified as Pierre man

Robert Bartlett remains identified
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Robert Bartlett remains identified

Officials said they have identified the remains of a Pierre man killed during World War II.

U.S. Army Corporal Robert Bartlett’s tank was hit by an enemy rocket in 1944. Many from the blast were never seen or heard from again.

In 1950 the army determined his remains were non-recoverable.

The American Graves Registration Command discovered two sets of remains from the tank in 1944 but could not identify them.

A historian studying unresolved American losses recognized the tank belong to Bartlett’s company.

In 2018 the American Battle Monuments Commission and Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency were able to test the remains in a laboratory and identify they belonged to Bartlett.

He will be buried in Blunt, South Dakota, on Aug. 10.

Jackson Dircks is a Freeburg, Illinois, native. He is pursuing a degree in English, Journalism and Secondary Education at Augustana University and planning to graduate in May 2025. He plans to pursue a career in sports journalism.