Key Takeaways:
– Pfc. Robert L. Bryant, missing in action since World War II, has been accounted for.
– Bryant served in Darby’s Rangers battalion deployed in the Mediterranean Theater.
– His remains, discovered in 2019, have been confirmed through DNA analysis in 2022.
– The discovery was made near where Bryant went missing in Italy during Operation AVALANCHE.
– Bryant’s name will be commemorated with a rosette on the Walls of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.
After seven decades, a mystery dating back to World War II has been resolved. Pfc. Robert L. Bryant, a U.S. soldier who went missing in action during an aquatic mission in the conflict, has been accounted for, according to military officials.
The Life and Service of Pfc. Robert L. Bryant
The 23-year-old Pfc. Bryant was part of the 4th Ranger Battalion, Company B. This group, better known as Darby’s Rangers, was under the training of Colonel William Darby. Darby also established another battalion that would eventually expand into what we now know as the modern-day United States Army Rangers.
Facing the threats of World War II, Bryant’s battalion was active in the Mediterranean Theater. This included assignments in Italy, Northern Africa, and the Middle East. Among the Allied servicemen, Bryant was one of the 170,000 who took part in Operation AVALANCHE. This mission involved a series of amphibious landings in Italy between September 9 and 18, 1943.
The Disappearance and Search for Pfc. Bryant
Bryant fought near the Chiunzi Pass on the Sorrento Peninsula after landing in Italy. However, on September 23, he vanished without a trace after encountering a patrol near Pietre, Italy. Neither his body was recovered nor did the German forces report him as a captive.
A formal telegram to his parents declared him killed in action. The War Department declared him non-recoverable in 1949. His name went on to be recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy.
The Discovery and Identification of the Remains
In 1947, the American Graves Registration began their mission to recover missing American personnel worldwide. They discovered remains in an Italian village named San Nicola, labelled as X-152 Naples. These remains were interred at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery as their connection with nearby casualties remained uncertain.
Over seven decades later, in 2019, a historian with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) used collected records to link Bryant to the location of the X-152 Naples remains. Scientists at the DPAA confirmed the identity in 2022 through various techniques involving anthropological and dental analysis, mitochondrial DNA analysis, and circumstantial evidence.
Family and Memorial Update
Bryant’s surviving family members have been informed about the identification of his remains. A rosette will be added next to his name on the Walls of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, indicating his accounted status. His final rest will be in April 2025, forever commemorated as a brave soul who served during a challenging time in our history.