American Soldier Joseph Gala: One of the oldest mysteries of the Second World War has finally been solved. The US Army has identified a soldier missing for more than 80 years, who was part of a famous army unit. Joseph Gala, a US Army soldier and member of the Merrill Marauders, went missing during a mission in Burma (now known as Myanmar). He was declared dead in action on July 14, 1944, two months after his disappearance. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), the US Army announced on November 4, 2026 that Gala's remains had been identified and were officially recorded on September 10, 2025.
Joseph was seen in Manakrin village
Under what circumstances did Joseph Gala die at the age of 21? No record of this could ever be found. Gala's family member Scott DeGregory told WCVB that they spent years trying to find out what really happened to her. We are very proud that they are finally able to return home. According to the agency, Joseph Gala was last seen in Manakrin village. At that time he was fighting with the Merrill Marauders group. Which was an infantry unit of volunteers and was named after its commander.
DPAA wrote in a press release – 'After reaching the recently captured airfield at Myitkyina, Burma, on 16 June 1944, Gala's battalion moved south from the village of Mankrin. They were fighting against strong Japanese military positions north of Myitkyina. According to the US Army, the Jungle Fighters group was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to carry out a secret and dangerous mission in the China-Burma-India region (also known as the Forgotten Realms).
There was no plan to bring back the soldiers
According to DPAA agency, Joseph Gala was last seen in Mankrin village. At that time he was fighting with the Merrill Marauders group. It was a volunteer infantry unit, named after its commander. Although about 3,000 people had volunteered for this mission, only 200 of them were able to return home. Former 'Marauder' soldier Sam Wilson told the US Army that we were just pawns. Robert Passanisi, one of the surviving soldiers, told CBS that there was a plan on paper to send us to Burma, but there was no plan to bring us back. The people who volunteered had no idea what this mission was going to be.
Every soldier got 'Bronze Star'
Every soldier who fought in 'Merrill's Marauders' group was later awarded the 'Bronze Star' by the US Army. Pentagon officials ordered that none of these soldiers would be sent to the battlefield again. In 1946, the remains of soldiers killed during the war were transferred from the American military cemetery in Myitkyina, Burma to Kalaikunda, India. The remains that could not be identified were sent to the 'Central Identification Laboratory' (CIL) in Oahu, Hawaii for further examination in 1947.
DPAA scientists found out
DPAA said in its press release that despite the efforts of CIL employees, many remains could not be identified. They were later buried as 'World War II Unknowns' in the 'National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific' (also known as 'Punchbowl') in Honolulu. 'To identify Gala's remains, DPAA scientists used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence.
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