History
WWII soldier, who died as POW in the Philippines in 1942, to be buried Tuesday in San Diego
Stars and Stripes
April 9, 2025
U.S. Army Maj. James J. O’Donovan was captured, subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and held at POW camps by Japan. He died a POW on Oct. 18, 1942, at age 34. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)
The remains of U.S. Army Maj. James J. O’Donovan, who died during World War II, will be interred Tuesday at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego.
O’Donovan, a native of Cohoes, N.Y., was a member of the 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December 1941. He was among thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members who were captured, subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and held in POW camps by Japan. According to historical records O’Donovan died a POW on Oct. 18, 1942, at age 34.
O’Donovan was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on Feb. 4, 2024, after his remains were exhumed in 2019 from the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines for laboratory analysis and identification.
He will be buried with full military honors.
About 81,000 American troops from past conflicts remain unaccounted for, according to the DPAA.