KDSN RADIO News
Remains of missing WWII soldier from Iowa Falls identified
The military has identified the remains of an Iowan who was reported missing in action during World War II.
Nineteen-year-old Melvin Huff of Iowa Falls was a corporal in the U.S. Army Air Force and was deployed to what is now New Guinea. Huff was the machine gunner in a bomber attacking Japanese positions that made two successful runs on January 20, 1945, but the plane did not return to the air base and search missions could not find it.
Sixty-six years later, an Australian military officer and a local guide reported seeing an aircraft crash site in a swamp. In late 2022, an underwater team from the U.S. military recovered possible human remains from the site that has recently been confirmed to be Huff's. A rosette will be placed next to Huff’s name at the Walls of the Missing at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila to indicate his remains were found.
A news release from the U.S. military indicates Huff will be buried in Iowa Falls, but no date has been set for the service.
