WWII soldier buried in Fayette County after 80 years

A World War II soldier was honored and buried in Fayette County 80 years after his death.

Private Harry Hosfelt Jr. was only 20 years old when he was killed in action. A native of Connellsville, he was assigned to Company A, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division in 1944. He died fighting German forces in Cisterna di Latina, Italy, on February 9 of that year.

The POW/MIA Accounting Agency was able to identify Hostfelt’s remains last year. They said members of the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) were tasked with finding the remains of missing Americans. One of their investigators found a number of remains at Ponte Rotto. At the time, they did not have enough information to identify the remains, so they were moved to what is now the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuna.

Decades later, a DPAA historian connected the dots and determined that the remains in the cemetery could belong to Hosfelt. The remains were sent to a lab in September 2021, where scientists were able to confirm this assumption through DNA testing.

The remains were returned to Connellsville so Hosfelt could be properly honored. His family, including his daughter and daughter-in-law, attended the ceremony at Green Ridge Memorial Park.

“Today was a beautiful day. The army did a great job, everyone was there for him. We are very proud of him. He is a hero,” said Joyce Hosfelt, Harry’s daughter-in-law.

Hosfelt’s name was included on the missing persons memorial plaques at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, but the DPAA said a rosette would be placed next to his name to show that he was found and returned home.

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