Identifying a World War I Unknown Soldier

On Feb. 8, 2022, a local undertaker was digging a grave in the cemetery at Villers-sur-Fère, a small village in northeastern France near the Ourcq River, where the U.S. Army’s 42d Infantry Division pushed back German forces in 1918. At about four feet down, the undertaker unearthed human bones. He didn’t know it at the time, but he had found an American Doughboy. 

Michael G. Knapp, Director of Historical Services for the American Battle Monuments Commission, joined the World War I Podcast to discuss the identification process and what we know about this soldier.  

The soldier will be buried with full military honors in the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery on June 7, 2023. Livestream link: Unknown U.S. WWI Soldier Burial Ceremony at Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, France - YouTube 

Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

Follow us:

• Twitter: @MacArthur1880
• Amanda Williams on Twitter: @AEWilliamsClark
• Facebook/Instagram: @MacArthurMemorial

www.macarthurmemorial.org