World War II Soldier Finally Laid to Rest in Colorado 80 Years After Death

Eighty years after being killed in combat overseas during World War II, Staff Sgt. Harold Schafer was finally brought back home to Colorado. On Monday morning, he was buried at Denver’s Fort Logan National Cemetery with a full military honors service, including bagpipes and a 21-gun salute. Schafer was just 28 years old when he lost his life while fighting in Germany in 1944.

Schafer joined the Army in 1943 and was deployed to Europe the following year as part of the 90th Infantry Division. On December 6, 1944, his unit crossed the Saar River and embarked on a mission to capture and hold the towns of Pachten and Dillingen in Germany. Tragically, just four days later, Schafer was fatally wounded by machine gun fire. Due to the urgency of the situation, his fellow servicemen were unable to retrieve his body and the bodies of other fallen soldiers before relocating to a safer area.

After the war, the American Graves Registration Command conducted multiple investigations in the Pachten-Dillingen area between 1946 and 1950. During these investigations, they recovered and identified the remains of servicemen from Schafer’s division who had been buried at a civilian cemetery in Reimsbach, Germany. However, they were unable to match Schafer with a body until September 26, 2023.

According to CBS News, Schafer was reportedly killed in a foxhole while attempting to aid a fellow soldier. The news of his death was devastating to his family, especially his grandmother, who was never the same after the loss. The fact that they were unable to bury Schafer’s body only added to their pain.

The identification of Schafer’s remains many years later came as a welcome surprise to the family. Schafer’s niece, Barb Bernhard, expressed her happiness and amazement at the news. The burial service on Monday brought the family both relief and peace as they finally had the opportunity to honor their uncle and lay him to rest.

For Bernhard, the burial was a fulfillment of her grandmother’s long-held wish to have Schafer brought home. She tearfully spoke to CBS, saying, “Grandma, we got him home. He’s home. It’s all you ever wanted was to have him home.”