'We brought him home': A WWII soldier killed 82 years ago has finally been laid to rest

A WWII hero missing for 82 years has been laid to rest in Massachusetts with full military honors Advertisement Updated: 11:03 PM CST Nov 5, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Arielle Mitropoulos Reporter A WWII hero missing for 82 years has been laid to rest in Massachusetts with full military honors Updated: 11:03 PM CST Nov 5, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Arielle Mitropoulos Reporter A World War II hero from Massachusetts whose remains were missing for more than 80 years after his death was buried Thursday in his hometown outside of Salem. Private Joseph A. Gala of Lynn, Massachusetts, killed in action in 1944 in Myanmar, which was then known as Burma, was finally laid to rest Thursday, 82 years after his death. Advertisement Gala was a graduate of Lynn English High School and entered the service on May 24, 1943. He was a member of the U.S. Army's "Merrill's Marauders," a special operations jungle-warfare unit, and was 21 when he was killed in the line of duty. 98-year-old twin Army veterans reunite after years apart in hospice care His family said his mother, Adeline, spent years waiting and hoping for news of her son. "Horrible — she couldn't talk about him," said one of Gala's nieces. For decades, Gala's remains were classified as missing in action, but advances in DNA technology allowed his remains to be identified using DNA provided by his nieces. "Our family, mother, uncles, grandparents, I know they're really happy," said a family member. ‘I want to do it’: Teen’s decision to become an organ donor comforts his family after crash On Friday, Gala's remains arrived at Logan Airport in Boston, where his family welcomed him home. A police escort then brought his casket to Solimine Funeral Home in Lynn, where members of the community gathered to honor him. "We brought him home, to Lynn," said 91-year-old Air National Guard veteran David Solimine Sr., who was moved to tears during the service. On Thursday, people from across generations in Lynn came together to pay their respects to Gala during a graveside service with full military honors in the World War II section of Pine Grove Cemetery. Sister June Carpenter, one of the few remaining Shakers, dies in Maine. She was 88 "I am so happy about my city of Lynn, and how everybody has come together for this family," said Solimine Sr. "Any veteran that, we're very proud of them. And we're honored to have them part of our world," said Solimine Sr. Gala's return and burial marked the end of a decades-long journey to bring him home and provided closure for his family and community. A mystery skeleton found in a Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey may finally have an identity Make WISN a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks 'We brought him home': A WWII soldier killed 82 years ago has finally been laid to rest New video shows NTSB investigators recovering Learjet wreckage pieces from Florida crash crater New study links energy drinks to reports of heart attacks and cardiac arrest in young adults 16 midterm races are within 1%. What could happen next?