Video above: World War II pilot laid to rest in St. Pete after 80 years MIA
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The remains of a Lakeland soldier who was captured during World War II were identified over 80 years after his death.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Friday that the remains of U.S. Army Air Force Pvt. 1st Class Robert L. Colter, 23, were recently exhumed from the site of a former prisoner of war camp in the Philippines.
After 80 years, a Florida WWII veteran’s remains are finally coming home
In 1942, Colter was captured by Japanese soldiers after U.S. forces surrendered, along with thousands of others who were interned at POW camps. Colter and his fellow soldiers were forced to walk 65 miles from Bataan – a journey known as the Bataan Death March – where they were subjected to abuse, starvation and torture.
Colter was among over 2,500 POWs who died at the Cabanatuan camp. According to historical records, Colter died on July 28, 1942, and was buried at a common grave in the camp’s cemetery, alongside other deceased prisoners.