SALT LAKE CITY — The body of a Salt Lake City Marine who was killed in action during World War II is on its way home, with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency making the announcement just ahead of Memorial Day.
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Helmut Behlert was a member of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which was part of the invasion force of the island of Saipan.
Behlert was 27 years old when he was killed on the first day of the invasion on June 15, 1944.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Service was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater. They searched for and disinterred remains on Saipan, but couldn't identify any as Behlert.
Behlert's remains were designated as unknown after being recovered and interred in the Fort William McKinley Cemetery, now the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, in the Philippines.
Following thorough historical research, officials determined that the remains that had been interred could likely be identified, and the body was disinterred in December 2022 and sent to the DPAA lab for analysis.
Scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis in addition to DNA analysis to identify the remains.
After the body was identified, Behlert's family received a full briefing on his identification.
Behlert's name is currently recorded in the Courts of the Missing and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, along with others who are still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed by his name at the memorial to indicate that he has been accounted for.
Behlert is scheduled to be buried in San Bruno, California, on Wednesday.
