Manuel John Pimentel, a World War II veteran from Massachusetts who had been previously missing, will have a funeral held for him on Monday. Pimentel enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1939 and was killed in action on Guadalcanal on September 24, 1942. Despite reports that he was buried in a marine cemetery on the island, his remains were not found when officials searched the site.
According to the website Missing Marines, Pimentel and his group ran into a Japanese military unit and were caught in a crossfire from multiple machine gun positions. The fight resulted in the deaths of several Marines, including Pimentel. His body was reportedly left where he fell temporarily, and subsequent efforts to locate and bury the fallen Marines were unsuccessful.
Pimentel was memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines. However, a recent excavation of the site revealed his remains, and he will now be buried with full military honors at the Cambridge Cemetery in Massachusetts. In honor of Pimentel, flags have been lowered to half-staff on Monday, and a funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. at Saint Joseph’s Church followed by a procession to the cemetery in Cambridge.