Lost WWII soldier to be buried in Louisiana after 82 years

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 19:32 · Archive

A U.S. Army Air Force technician who died as a Japanese prisoner of war in 1942 will be buried in Bastrop, Louisiana, more than 80 years after his death.

Technician 4th Grade William P. Butler, a U.S. Army Air Force technician, will be buried in Bastrop, Louisiana, more than 80 years after his death. Butler, 22, died on 27 December 1942 whilst a prisoner of war at Cabanatuan Camp on the Philippine Islands. He was a member of the 5th Air Corps Squadron, Weather (Regional Control), when the Japanese invaded the Philippines in late 1941. He was captured after fighting continued on the Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor Island, during which 12,000 U.S. service members surrendered. Butler took part in the 65-mile Bataan Death March following his capture.

Butler was born in Parkdale, Arkansas, in 1920 to a family of cotton sharecroppers. He later moved to Bastrop to work as a store clerk with his family. He graduated near the top of his class from Bonita High School, and was one of 12 from the Bonita community who did not survive the war.

Services for Butler will be held on Friday, 16 October, at 10 a.m. at Christ Church Cemetery in Bastrop.

How it is being reported

• Lost WWII soldier to have funeral in Bastrop after remains found and identifiedA U.S. Army Air Force technician will be buried back in Louisiana more than 80 years after his death.WAFB · 14 Oct, 17:33
• Lost WWII soldier to have funeral in Bastrop after remains found and identifiedA U.S. Army Air Force technician will be buried back in Louisiana more than 80 years after his death.KNOE · 14 Oct, 17:33

In this story: William P. Butler · U.S. Army Air Force · Bastrop · Philippines · Cabanatuan Camp · Bataan Peninsula · Corregidor Island

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