Florence Gantt, a volunteer who consoles mourners at Arlington National Cemetery, speaks to David Rogers, the nephew of Pfc. Bernard Gavrin who died in Saipan in 1944 and who was buried September 12 2014 (Photo credit: Ron Kampeas/JTA)
ARLINGTON, Virgina — Private First Class Bernard Gavrin, declared missing in 1944, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in a Jewish ceremony.
Gavrin was given full military honors on Friday, and a flag was handed to his nephew, David Rogers.
Gavrin was part of an invasion force in Saipan, then occupied by Japan, in June 1944. Japanese forces subjected the forces to banzai, or suicide, attacks, and killed and injured over 900 US soldiers.
Gavrin, 29, was reported missing on July 7 and declared presumed dead a year later.
A Japanese NGO last year uncovered remains in Saipan, now a US territory, in an unmarked burial site.
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An Army Casket team lays to rest Pfc. Bernard Gavrin at Arlington National Cemetery on September 12 2014 while Rabbi Marvin Bash looks on (Photo credit: Ron Kampeas/JTA)
Gavrin’s DNA matched Rogers, his nephew, now 82, who last saw Gavrin, his mother’s brother, just before Gavrin enlisted.
About 40 mourners attended the service at Arlington cemetery, led by Rabbi Marvin Bash, and the US Army Band played Yigdal Elohim Hai, a hymn, and America the Beautiful.
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