Michigan Veteran’s Emotional Homecoming: Great Uncle’s Remains Return After 83 Years

In a tearful and long-overdue moment of closure, Michigan veteran Bob Buys finally brought home the remains of his great uncle, Sergeant James W. Swartz, over eight decades after he died during World War II. For Buys and his loved ones, it is a tale of service, sacrifice, and an unrelenting hope that finally came a full circle.

Sergeant Swartz, a United States Army Air Corps member, was murdered in 1942 when he was a prisoner of war of the Japanese in the Philippines. Years later, with his status unknown, his remains were identified positively in November 2024 with the new DNA technology. In May 2025, he was given a funeral in Fowlerville, Michigan, 83 years from the time he was killed.

For Bob Buys, 74, confirmation of Swartz’s remains is the culmination of a grieving era for his family, which had been seeking answers regarding the valiant serviceman who never returned.

“He’d been identified back in November of 2024,” Buys remembered, smiling at the recollection. “His funeral was this past May, and at last, he’s home.”

A War Hero Lost in the Shadows of History

James W. Swartz joined the military in 1939 and was serving in the Philippines during the beginning of World War II. Buys and Department of Defense records also show that Swartz’s aircraft was shot down while on a mission. He survived the crash, though, and was subsequently captured by Japanese forces and forced into the infamous Bataan Death March – a brutal forced march of American and Filipino prisoners over miles of harsh terrain under horrible conditions.

In captivity, Swartz languished in starvation and illness. He finally died on September 23, 1942, supposedly of dysentery and starvation, the usual cause of death for most imprisoned in the camps.

“Technically, he starved to death,” Buys said, visibly still shaken by the brutality his great uncle endured.

For decades, Swartz’s remains were unclaimed, interred in nameless mass graves with the thousands who perished. Families like the Buyses held onto hope, but official channels yielded few leads. A 1956 letter from Swartz’s mother to the Department of Defense implored for answers:

“Dear Sirs, would you be so good as to tell me if there is some kind of cemetery or burial ground for the boys who died during World War Two in the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp?”

Her search remained unsolved for decades.

A DNA Breakthrough

The tables turned in 2017 when the Department of Defense contacted Buys and requested that he provide a DNA sample in order to identify remains discovered in the Philippines. Forensic technology had reached a point where it became viable to reopen cases that were thought previously to be impossible.

Buys did not hesitate. Donating his DNA sample was the least he could do, he said, to honor a relative who had given everything.

It makes me proud that my little effort in donating my DNA is what helped them identify his body,” he said.

That simple gesture triggered a chain of scientific and bureaucratic measures that finally led to verification: the remains of Sergeant Swartz had been identified and were so recognized.

For Buys, a Vietnam War veteran who served from 1970 to 1974, Swartz’s honor is not just about individual closure—it’s about continuing a family tradition of military service. His father and grandfather also served during wartime, a tradition of patriotism that transcends generations.

With Swartz safely home, Buys is looking forward to a long-awaited family reunion. He has been in touch with Swartz’s great-granddaughter and helping to organize a reunion of extended family members to honor and celebrate the soldier’s return home.

“A family reunion is planned, yes… all to mark James Swartz’s return,” he announced proudly.

Remembering the Sacrifice

The return of Sergeant Swartz’s body is an individual victory but also an emotional reminder of the sacrifices made by thousands of servicemen and women whose stories remain open. To Buys, it gives added weight to further reminding us of the necessity to keep remembering and honoring those who didn’t come back.

“Those who have sacrificed that much, thank you doesn’t feel sufficient,” Buys said. “But through what we do – as we remember and proceed – we need to honor those people very well.”

In a world where stories of bravery during World War II become increasingly distant with the advent of time, this occasion shines again on the incomplete war task: to account for every soldier who died, to give closure to families, and to render homage to lives lost in the name of freedom.

Because of the advancements in technology, dedication by the Department of Defense, and the simple yet powerful action of one veteran donating his DNA, the story of Sergeant Swartz now has an ending – a one with respect, remembrance, and reunion.

And for the Buys family, homecoming is not so much a burial as it is a celebration of life, heritage, and the continuing bond of family through time and generations.