MAN, W.Va. — A Logan County family is expressing new thankfulness on this July Fourth holiday, the nation’s 250th birthday, after this week’s return of a missing family member.
The remains of U.S. Army Cpl. Kenneth E. Matson, a veteran of World War II, were returned Thursday night to the community of Man. He was MIA for more than 80 years.
A great niece, Krista Brown-Trogdon, said the family learned last year from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that her Uncle Kenneth’s remains had been found identified after being killed in action on June 28, 1944. Her aunt first received the word of the identification.
“I think it was just shock, absolute shock, especially for her, she is 82-years-old and was actually born just two days after Kenneth’s death,” Brown-Trogdon said Friday on MetroNews Midday. “It was just so moving to watch what she’s gone through with this and then being able to extend it to the rest of the family.”
Brown-Trogdon said the family didn’t talk much about her uncle when she was growing up. The family was told by the military that he had died and that it was likely his remains would never be found.
They’ve since learned Matson was killed in the Battle of Myitkyina and he served in the legendary Merrill’s Marauders. Brown-Trogdon said the new information has been great to learn.
“The pride that has risen in the family has been absolutely amazing,” she said. “This has sparked not only excitement but this has sparked an interest.”
Brown-Trogdon said they’ve also learned her uncle volunteered for service.
Members of the Man community turned out Thursday night as Matson came home. Brown-Trogdon said she wasn’t surprised.
“The fact that people came out shows the goodness of a tight community and that it also shows how the unity and the mindset of America—that we support people even though they’ve been gone that long,” she said. “What an inspiration.”
A public visitation was held at the Krantz-McNeely Funeral Home in Man Friday evening. A graveside service is scheduled for July 9 at 1 p.m. at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Pecks Mill.
According to Matson’s obituary, “Following more than eight decades since making the ultimate sacrifice in defense of his nation, Cpl. Matson will finally be laid to rest in the same garden as his beloved parents, Albert and Nellie Farley Matson. It is a fitting homecoming for a young soldier whose journey was interrupted by war, allowing him at last to be reunited with his family and honored among those he loved most.”