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U.S. Air Force Col. Jeff McMaster, 27th Special Operations Wing deputy commander, and Capt. Jaclyn Pienkowski, 27th SOW chief of public affairs, attend the funeral service of U.S. Army Sgt. Samuel Prince in Clovis, New Mexico, Aug. 8, 2024. Prince served with the U.S. Army’s 200th Coast Artillery Regiment during World War II, fighting in the Philippines until his death in Cabanatuan POW Camp #1 on Sept. 22, 1942. Prince’s remains were laid to rest in Mission Garden of Memories by his nieces and nephews. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Drew Cyburt)

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Individuals attend a funeral service honoring U.S. Army Sgt. Samuel Prince, whose remains were identified after 81 years, in Clovis, New Mexico, Aug. 8, 2024. Prince, a Clovis native, died as a Prisoner of War during World War II, but his remains were unidentified until the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency confirmed them with DNA technology on April 25, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Drew Cyburt)

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Mike Morris, Mayor of Clovis, New Mexico, presents a signed proclamation to the family of U.S. Army Sgt. Samuel Prince during Prince’s funeral service in Clovis, New Mexico, Aug. 8, 2024. Prince served with the U.S. Army’s 200th Coast Artillery Regiment during World War II, fighting in the Philippines until his death in Cabanatuan POW Camp #1 on Sept. 22, 1942. Prince’s remains were laid to rest in Mission Garden of Memories by his nieces and nephews after 81 years. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Drew Cyburt)

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The remains of U.S. Sgt. Samuel Prince are displayed in Clovis, New Mexico, Aug. 8, 2024. Prince, a Clovis native, died during World War II as a Prisoner of War, but his remains were unidentified until the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency confirmed them with DNA technology on April 25, 2024. Prince’s remains were laid to rest in Mission Garden of Memories by his nieces and nephews after 81 years remaining unidentified. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Drew Cyburt)

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U.S. Air Force Col. Jeff McMaster, 27th Special Operations Wing deputy commander, attends the funeral service of U.S. Army Sgt. Samuel Prince in Clovis, New Mexico, Aug. 8, 2024. Prince served with the U.S. Army’s 200th Coast Artillery Regiment during World War II, fighting in the Philippines until his death in Cabanatuan POW Camp #1 on Sept. 22, 1942. Prince’s remains were laid to rest in Mission Garden of Memories by his nieces and nephews after 81 years. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Drew Cyburt

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U.S. Airmen assigned to the 27th Special Operations Wing Honor Guard perform a rifle salute during the funeral of U.S. Army Sgt. Samuel Prince in Clovis, New Mexico, Aug. 8, 2024. Prince and the other surviving members of his unit were forced on the Bataan Death March after being surrendered in April 1942. An estimated 650 American and 16,500 Filipino survivors of the battle were killed on or after the Bataan Death March. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Drew Cyburt)

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A photograph memorializing U.S. Army Sgt. Samuel Prince is displayed during his funeral service in Clovis, New Mexico, Aug. 8, 2024. Prince served with the U.S. Army’s 200th Coast Artillery Regiment during World War II, fighting in the Philippines until the Allied troops in Bataan were surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Drew Cyburt)

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Photo Story: WWII Soldier's remains returned to hometown; Samuel Prince buried in Clovis

Published Aug. 12, 2024
By Senior Airman Drew Cyburt
27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

CLOVIS, N.M. --

Leaders and base honor guard members from the 27th Special Operations Wing attended the funeral of U.S. Army Sgt. Samuel Prince in Clovis, New Mexico, Aug. 8, 2024. Prince, who was a veteran of the Battle of Bataan and the Bataan Death March, died as a Prisoner of War in 1942. His remains were left unidentified for 81 years until the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency confirmed them with DNA testing technology in April.