The remains of a World War II soldier from Ohio who was missing in action have been identified.
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U.S. Army Pvt. James G. Loterbaugh of Roseville, Ohio, killed in World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 20, 2024.
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Loterbaugh was born on March 25, 1909 Hocking, Athens, Ohio, and was killed in service to his country on Dec. 11, 1944, in Germany’s Hürtgen Forest, according to his obituary.
In January of 1944, Loterbaugh joined the Army and served in Company C, 774th Tank Battalion, during World War II.
In December 1944, he was a crewmember on an M4 Sherman tank. On Dec. 11, his platoon was separated from the rest of the company during a battle near Strauss. Germany in the Hürtgen Forest.
By midday, the entire platoon, including Loterbaugh’s tank, was reported missing in action, according to his Obituary.
He was not reported as a prisoner of war, and Army personnel who searched the battlefield found no leads regarding his fate. An presumptive finding of death was issued by the War Department in December 1945.
On Sept. 20, 2024, Loterbaugh was identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) using DNA and anthropological analysis and accounted for.
His name is inscribed on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, along with others still unaccounted for from World War II.
A rosette will be placed next to his name now that he has been accounted for.
A public visitation will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, June 2, at Routsong Funeral Home located on E Stroop Rd in Kettering.
Loterbaugh will receive full military honors and be buried at Dayton National Cemetery on June 3, 2025.
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