Montana WWII POW Identified After 80 Years

There are some stories that feel a bit more impactful when told from home. The remains of a U.S. Army Private, who disappeared more than 80 years ago, have been identified and will be returned home. Henry D. Bordner, 24, of Butte, Montana, has been identified. During World War II, Bordner was stationed in the Philippines. He defended the Philippines with the 194th Tank Battalion when Japanese forces overran them in December 1941.

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When American forces surrendered on April 9, 1942, after months of brutal fighting, Bordner was among the thousands rounded up. What happened next was one of the most horrific episodes in military history...The 65-mile Bataan Death March. He would later be transferred to the Cabanatuan P.O.W. camp, where more than 2,500 prisoners died during the war.

A Name Restored After Decades

Documents say Bordner died Oct. 20th, 1942, and was buried in Common Grave 701 in the camp cemetery with other prisoners. American recovery teams exhumed remains and transported them after the war to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum just outside Manila.

For over 70 years, his gravesite remained at the site, meticulously preserved but identified only as Unknown.

The Science That Finally Found Him Home

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency exhumed those remains in December 2020 for further testing. Bordner’s remains were identified through anthropological and isotope analysis, mitochondrial DNA testing, and other evidence, according to the scientists. On April 2, 2025, they said what his family had longed to hear for generations.

What It Means to Montana

Montana has one of the highest percentages of veterans per capita in the nation. Paying respect to those who served isn’t an annual occurrence here; it’s part of our identity. Bordner’s story is just a single reminder of the thousands of young Montanans who have answered that call to service, and the families who never lost hope.

Henry D. Bordner can finally be laid to rest in Butte. His home. His name is lost no more.