World War II prisoners of war from the La Crosse area are brought home for burial and military honors

Flags across Wisconsin flew at half-staff Monday to commemorate a La Crosse-area soldier who was buried decades after his death in World War II.

Sergeant Jack Hohlfeld grew up in La Crosse and Trempealeau counties and served in the Army Air Force in the Philippines during the war. Hohlfeld was taken prisoner by the Japanese and died in a prison camp in 1942 at the age of 35.

Hohlfeld’s remains were recently released to his family by the armed forces and his funeral was held Monday at St. Patrick’s Church in Onalaska. During the service, Monsignor Steven Kachel spoke about Hohlfeld’s heroism.

Kachel said, “A true hero is someone who has courage and sacrifices himself to do what is just and right.”

Sharon Graw, Hohlfeld’s niece, worked for 12 years to return his remains to the family. Sharon’s husband, Ron Graw, says the remains of six people were placed together in one grave at the prison camp. Genetic testing led to the quick identification of some of the remains, but Ron Graw says some of the bones were “mixed and mixed” and he believes DNA led to the full identification. He says a few weeks ago the government received word that the remains had been identified.

After his capture by the Japanese, Hohlfeld took part in the Bataan Death March in the Philippines, died of illness in a prison camp and was buried in a mass grave.

During the burial at La Crosse Catholic Cemetery, a bugler played the tattoo as military aircraft flew over the site. Sharon Graw was presented with the U.S. flag that lay over her uncle’s casket. Hohlfeld’s grave is very close to where his parents are buried in the same cemetery.