WASHINGTON — A World War II veteran from Michigan is accounted for more than 80 years after he was killed.
U.S. Army Cpl. Frank V. Benak from Scottville was deployed in December 1942 to what is now Papua New Guinea in response to a threat from Japanese forces, according to the Defense POW/PIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).
We’re told Benak and the rest of his unit — Cannon Company, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division — attacked enemy defenses on Papua’s north side. Benak was declared missing in action (MIA) on Dec. 5. He was 24 years old.
The DPAA says recovery teams found remains in 1944 near where Benak was believed to have died but they were unidentifiable. The remains were entombed in the Philippines at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (formerly known as Fort McKinley Cemetery).
Decades later in May 2012, the Australian Defence Force found a Buna village leader in possession of Benak’s dog tag, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Benak’s remains were reportedly disinterred in January 2017 for analysis at a DPAA lab, which confirmed the soldier’s identity after scientists performed numerous tests.
We’re told Corporal Benak will be laid to rest in Miama, Florida, on April 13.
The DPAA credits the American Battle Monuments Commission and the Australian Defence Force for their involvement.
Visit the DPAA’s website for more on its mission to identify unaccounted-for U.S. soldiers.
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