World War II soldier laid to rest in Connellsville
Ed Riedmann/Observer-Reporter
A World War II soldier from Connellsville was laid to rest on Saturday after his remains were disinterred from a cemetery in Italy.
U.S. Army Pfc. Harry H. Hosfelt Jr., 20, was killed in action on Feb. 9, 1944 when his unit was engaged by German Forces in Italy. Hosfelt’s body was not recovered, nor was he reported as a prisoner of war, according to the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). One year later the U.S. Department of War issued a finding of death.
Several years ago, a DPAA historian determined there was one set of unidentified remains buried in Nettuna, Italy in 1948 that possibly belonged to Hosfelt. Those remains were disinterred in 2021, and identified as being Hosfelt through dental and anthropological analysis.
Hosfelt was buried Saturday during a service at Greenridge Memorial Park on Route 119 in Connellsville