WASHINGTON D.C., DC — The body of a 19-year-old Bridgeport soldier killed during World War II has been found, according to an announcement on Wednesday from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA.
The remains of U.S. Army Sgt. Jack Zarifian were first discovered in Germany last October, according to the DPAA. Zarifian was officially accounted for on May 10.
Zarifian was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 253rd Infantry Regiment, 63rd Infantry Division, and his unit was engaged in heavy combat near the town of Buchhof, Germany in April 1945. According to the DPAA, Zarifian was killed in action after being struck by a rocket there on April 6, 1945.
The Germans held the town, and the Allied Forces were unable to recover his body due to intense fighting. Zarifian’s remains were not accounted for during or after the war, and he was not reported as being captured by German forces.
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When the war ended, the American Graves Registration Command, or AGRC, was responsible for investigating and recovering missing American soldiers and personnel in Europe. Multiple recovery teams visited Buchhof and discussed the missing troops with residents.
The DPAA says that the villagers noted that several U.S. soldiers were buried in their cemetery or within the community but that American forces later recovered the dead and took their bodies back to the United States. Zarifian’s body was not among those recovered.
U.S. Army Sgt. Jack Zarifian | Body recovered after 79 years
After nearly 80 years, DPAA officials in Germany received phone calls from police officers at Mosbach and Heilbronn on Oct. 18, 2023, with reports of possible American remains being discovered in proximity to Buchhof.
According to the DPAA, explosive ordinance disposal technicians located what they considered to be human remains and WWII-era U.S. equipment and clothing while clearing a construction site for an underground electrical power line northwest of Buchhof.
The site was evacuated, revealing human remains and material evidence consistent with items used by U.S. troops during WWII. Various personal items believed to belong to Zarifian were also found. The DPAA took custody of the evidence and brought it to a laboratory for analysis.
Scientists from the DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence, to identify Zarifian. Scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System also used mitochondrial DNA, Y-chromosome DNA and Autosomal DNA analysis to assist in the effort.
The DPAA says Zarifian’s name is listed on the Walls of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, which is an American Battle Monuments Commission site in St. Avold, France next to the names of others who are still missing from the war. A rosette will be placed next to Zarifian's name to represent that he has been found.
On a date to be determined, Zarifian will be buried in Providence, R.I. The official announcement from the DPAA was delayed until October so that Zarifian’s family could be fully briefed on his identification.
One can contact the Army Casualty Office at 800-892-2490 for family and funeral information.
The DPAA says it is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission for their collaboration on this mission. More information on the DPAA can be found here or on their Facebook page.
The DPAA also lists Zarifian’s personnel profile, which can be seen here.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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