Remains of World War II Soldier, recently identified through DNA analysis, to be buried in Big Pine, California with Full Military Honors

 

CherubiniPvt. Roman Cherubini 1923-1944

The remains of U.S. Army Pvt. Roman Cherubini, a Soldier killed during World War II, will be laid to rest on Saturday, April 26 at Big Pine Crocker Cemetery, Big Pine, California at Noon.

Big Pine Cemetery District manager, Melinda DeCoster, was contacted by a remaining family member to have Pvt. Roman Cherubini buried in Crocker Cemetery near his brother, Raymond Cherubini.  At sixteen Roman and his twin brother Raymond Cherubini both enlisted in the Army.

 

Brune Mortuary, Bishop, California, will perform graveside services preceding the interment with full military honors conducted by the U.S. Army. Those who want to honor Pvt. Cherubiui are welcome to attend.

Killed in Action

A native of Bridgeton, New Jersey, Pvt. Cherubini was assigned to F Company, 2nd Battalion, 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), also known as “Merrill’s Marauders.” He joined the unit as part of “New Galahad” replacements sent to supplement the original group of 5307th troops (“Old Galahad”) in May 1944. After arriving at the recently captured airfield in Myitkyina, Burma, his battalion advanced south from the village of Mankrin on June 16 against heavily fortified Japanese positions north of Myitkyina. Although the exact circumstances of his death were not recorded, the U.S. War Department declared Pvt. Cherubini Killed in Action at age 22, on June 16, 1944.

Identification Process

The remains of servicemen killed during the battle were buried in at least eight different temporary cemeteries and numerous isolated burial locations. Eventually, all known burials were concentrated into the U.S. Military Cemetery at Myitkyina, including remains that could not be identified. In January and February 1946, all the remains at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Myitkyina were disinterred and transferred to the U.S. Military Cemetery at Kalaikunda, India. The exhumation of the U.S. Military Cemetery at Kalaikunda was conducted in September and October 1947, with unidentified remains transferred to the Central Identification Laboratory (CIL) on Oahu for further analysis.

 

Despite the efforts of CIL staff, one of these remains, designated X-65 Kalaikunda, could not be identified and was subsequently buried as a World War II Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu on Mar. 11, 1949.

 

In January 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) disinterred Unknown X-65 Kalaikunda from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, as part of the Battle of Myitkyina project and transferred the remains for laboratory analysis and identification.

 

The Past Conflict Repatriations Branch (PCRB), under the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky, plays a key role in the process of locating Family members of missing Soldiers from WWII, the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

The process begins with locating the Family member most closely related to the missing Soldier, known as the primary next of kin, followed by a request for Family reference samples or DNA, which are used as a main source in identifying remains.

 

To identify Cherubini’s remains, scientists used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.

 

Identified!

Once a Soldier has been identified by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, the PCRB notifies and briefs the Family about the results of historical, forensic and DNA reports, benefits and the mortuary process including burial with full military honors.

 

Pvt. Cherubini was accounted for Dec. 16, 2024. Cherubini’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, 80 years after being killed in action. A family member has arranged to have Pvt. Roman Cherubini to be buried in Crocker Cemetery near his twin brother, Raymond Cherubini, who was also in the military.

Pvt. Cherubini’s name is also recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Taguig City, Philippines, along with the others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

More information about Big Pine Cemetery

 

The Big Pine Cemetery District has updated their website to include a wealth of information for families and visitors. Big Pine has two unique cemeteries: Crocker and Woodman. You will find information about their histories, how we honor our veterans, an ever-growing section with stories about those memorialized there, and an online directory where families can find additional genealogical information about their loved ones.

 

Please visit us at BigPineCemetery.com and let others know so we can reach the broadest audience possible.

 

Cherubini Obit

Cherubini twinbrothers

 

 

 


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