Washburn native accounted for from World War II

Charles Reiser

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced on Monday that U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Charles R. Reiser, 20, of Washburn, killed during World War II, was accounted for on June 25.

According to DPAA information, in June 1944, Reiser was a member of Company D, 708th Amphibious Tank Battalion. He was killed June 15 during Operation Forager on the island of Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands. Marines ashore on the island were under constant assault from Japanese mortars, which caused heavy casualties and impeded American’s movements. The exact cause of Reiser’s death is unknown, but it is believed his unit was providing armor support to the Marines’ initial landing on the beaches. Reiser’s remains were not known to have been accounted for during or after the war. The War Department declared him non-recoverable in June 1949.

The American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) searched for and disinterred remains throughout the Pacific Theater in an effort to identify fallen service members after the end of the war. Remains identified as Unknown X-57 were first reported as buried in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Saipan. However, the AGRS was not able to identify X-57, and the remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines in 1950.

After thorough research, DPAA historians concluded X-57 was possibly associated with Reiser. In December 2022, Unknown X-57 was disinterred and sent to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.

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

According to local news reports following Reiser’s death, Reiser was the first Washburn man to be killed in World War II. He was born in Washburn on March 3, 1924, and attended local schools. Reiser enlisted in the Army on Nov. 26, 1942, and received his training at Camp Beale and Fort Ord, both in California, before being sent overseas.

DPAA reported Reiser’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Reiser will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery at Arlington, Virginia, on a date to be determined.