WWII Vet From Plainfield Honored By Crowd At Overman Jones

PLAINFIELD, IL — Several dozen people gathered at Plainfield's Overman Jones Funeral Home Thursday afternoon to honor the World War II veteran whose body was identified last month as Arthur W. Countryman of Plainfield.

Many donned red, white and blue while waving American flags in salute of the soldier who served as a technical sergeant in the Army. Plainfield police officers escorted Countryman's remains to the funeral home from Midway Airport around noon Thursday.

RELATED: WWII Soldier Identified As Plainfield Man After 77 Years

Countryman was identified June 14 by scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, who used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence, according to a news release.

He was assigned to Company F within the 4th Infantry Division's 12th Infantry Regiment. The 37-year-old was part of the unit that fought against German forces in Hürtgen Forest, where he was reported killed in action Nov. 20, 1944.

His remains were found by a German woodcutter in 1947, and he was buried at Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium in 1950. His body was then disinterred and sent to a lab in Nebraska in 2019, where he was identified last month.

A funeral and visitation service will be held for Countryman Aug. 6. Officials said further information will be provided closer to the date.

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