08/06/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1Cv61PdQva/
US Army Technician 5th Grade William P. Keele, 24, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 5, 2026, and his remains arrived home to Arkansas yesterday: https://youtu.be/cZaz0_2ORZc?si=-IzAWDJ-FyaZh4aw
William was a member of the 33d Quartermaster Truck Regiment (QM Truck Regt), Philippine Department, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December 1941. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
William was among those captured when US forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and held at the Cabanatuan POW camp, where more than 2,500 POWs died during the war.
William died July 16, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 316.
In 2019, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, the unidentified remains associated with Common Grave 316 were sent to the DPAA laboratory for scientific analysis, leading to William's identification.
Funeral services were held yesterday in Greenwood, Arkanasas, and his burial will take place on Friday at the Fort Smith National Cemetery.
More information: https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/ID-Announcements/Article/4465463/soldier-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-keele-w/
📷: Nurses Honor Guard of the River Valley Community Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/724270758786570/posts/1730308308182805/
