(Marshalltown, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs report the recently identified remains of U.S. Army Private James L. Harrington, an Iowan killed during the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, will be laid to rest this Friday, June 6th —81 years to the day of his death—in Cincinnati, Iowa (Appanoose County).

Pvt. Harrington was among approximately 200 soldiers aboard a landing craft heading toward Omaha Beach when it struck a mine then immediately came under heavy enemy fire. The vessel was engulfed in flames before sinking, and all aboard were lost. Similar incidents are loosely depicted in the opening moments of Saving Private Ryan.

Army Pvt. James L. Harrington (US DPAA photo)

In 1946, recovery teams located the sunken craft and recovered the remains of four individuals. However, they could not be identified at the time and were buried as “Unknown” at the Normandy American Cemetery. Harrington was officially listed as Missing in Action.

Thanks to advances in DNA technology, the remains were exhumed in 2021, and Pvt. Harrington was positively identified in late 2023.