Remains of Teenage WWII Marine Finally Brought Home

The remains of a teen killed nearly 80 years ago are finally home. Marine Corps Reserve Private Jacob Cruz died in November of 1943, on the island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll. Cruz was buried on the island, but the burial site was only discovered in March of 2019. Scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency used dental and anthropological analysis to identify his remains. Private Cruz was at last returned to his family in Los Angeles earlier this week.