WWII Vet From Plainfield To Be Escorted By Police To Cemetery

PLAINFIELD, IL — Arthur W. Countryman, the 37-year-old World War II veteran from Plainfield killed in 1944 but not identified until June of this year, will be taken to Plainfield Township Cemetery Friday by police escort.

Plainfield police officers said they will leave Overman Jones Funeral Home, 15219 S. Joliet Road, around 2 p.m. Those wishing to honor Countryman and show support with signs and flags can stand along Route 59, between Union Street and Fort Beggs Drive, at about 1:45 p.m., police said.

Before then, visitation hours for the veteran are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A celebration of Countryman's life will take place starting at 1 p.m. with Pastor Teri Lafferty officiating. The event will also be live-streamed here.

Countryman, a recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, served as a technical sergeant in the army during World War II and fought German forces in Hürtgen Forest when he was reported killed in action Nov. 20, 1944. His body — found by a German woodcutter — wasn't found until 1947, and his remains were buried in Belgium in 1950.

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His remains were disinterred and sent to a Nebraska lab in 2019, where he was identified in June by scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency using dental and anthropological analysis.

Plainfield police escorted Countryman from Midway Airport to Overman Jones July 29, where they were met with a crowd of people wearing red, white and blue and waving flags in honor of the Plainfield native.

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Countryman was born in Plainfield in 1907, where he was a member of the Sharon Evangelical Church (now the Sharon United Methodist Church). He enlisted in the army when he was 14 and married Loretta Hamilton after his honorable discharge. He returned to active-duty status in February 1942 before being sent to Europe in 1944 as part of Company F, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division.

Countryman's obituary can be read on the Overman Jones Funeral Home website. Donations can be made to Plainfield American Legion Marne Post 13, at 24741 Renwick Road, in lieu of flowers.

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