Hello there, Some of you may have seen or heard about this story, but if not.... From Ouest France Or from local TV station France3 All in French, I'm afraid, but to give some background..... PFC Lawrence Gordon was one of three brothers who served voluntarily in WW2, two in the US Army, one in the Canadian. The two choses the former because of the 'better equipment" and because it appeared a more "modern" army. Lawrence was in a recce unit of 3rd Armd Division, but was killed in action on 13th August 1944 near Ranes in the department of Orne. He was buried in Gorron US cemetery, the family being informed that he had been buried "with honors" (US spelling...) Later, on exhumation, he was subsequently identified as a German, based on clothing label fragments found with the remains. He was then re-buried as an unknown German (X-3), eventually being placed in a vault in the ossuary at Huisnes sur Mer. His nephew, Lawrence Gordon -named after his fallen uncle- came to Normandy some years ago to visit his grave, fulfilling a promise made to his father, PFC Gordon's brother. However, of course there was no grave, just his name inscribed on the wall of the missing in the cemetery in St James. Skip forward a few years, Jed Henry from Wisconsin was researching his grnadfather's unit, same recce company from 33rd Armd Rgt. Having met Lawrence Gordon (the nephew) he decided to find out what really happened to PFC Gordon. The upshot of two years of research and dialogue with French, German and US authorities was the exhumation yesterday of the remains of unknown German X-3, in the hope that DNA analysis will prove that the remains are those of PFC Gordon. In a couple of months or so further information should be forthcoming. Today was the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the ossuary. PFC Gordon's nephews Lawrence and Sam were among the attendees. Sean
Hi Sean, What an intriguing story. I wonder if the remains are found to be not those of PFC Lawrence Gordon, will it be possible to perform a DNA test against a database of missing from both sides, if such a database exists? Regards, Pat
PFC Lawrence Gordon- Update Hello there, Well I reckon it pays to persevere.... The results of the DNA testing have shown that the remains in Huisnes sur Mer are (almost!) certainly those of PFC Gordon. Here and here are a couple of articles (in English). Cheers, Sean
Thanks Sean, Looks like the American authorities are coming under fire over this case. In any event what matters is that another son is on his way home. Regards, Pat
Great story. Thanks for posting. For those with an interest in modern day identification of GI KIA, pick up a copy of Bill Warnock's The Dead of Winter. The story takes place in the Ardennes. The book is on my "Desert Island Top Ten."
Good to hear his remains have been identified. Been following this story ever since reading this post on AHF: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=190619 In researching armor it is unfortunately extremely common to find people who are still considered missing in action - even if there is little doubt they died inside their tank. I personally know (the family) of an MIA who was likely incinerated in his tank (there's a witness). This story makes me wonder if his remains were actually removed from his tank and buried as an unknown. I had presumed the tank would be enough to identify the body, but reading the story of PFC Gordon it seems even important clues can be 'overlooked'. Maybe the family should pursue this as well.... Should not having a body automatically mean someone is MIA, even if all evidence shows he was KIA? Something to think about.
Yes, good news indeed. It was through AHF that I first got in touch with Jed (albeit a different thread). He's put an awful lot into this, emotionally and physically as well as financially. The MIA/KIA issue is interesting, and as you say Niels, all too common with AFVs (and aircraft for that matter). Sean
Hi All, Here is the most recent update from my local newspaper. As some of you may know, I live in Milwaukee. It is great news that the U.S. government has decided to give full military honors to Pfc. Lawrence Gordon. Below is a link to the most recent March 15th article. http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/honors-likely-for-soldier-buried-with-germans-following-wwii-b99225780z1-250406711.html John
Hello all, Today the rosette beside PFC Gordon's name was revealed in a small ceremony in St James, indicating he is no longer considered "missing". Cheers, Sean
Pat, Hope you don't mind me posting this here. Jed has started a Kickstarter campaign to get funding to help finish the documentary he's been working on. Link here. Thanks, Sean
Sean, Very honored to host the link - a truly decent thing they have achieved. I embedded the video in the Veteran Services > Support section of the Forum here and posted it on our FB page. Thanks for keeping us up to speed on this remarkable story Sean. Regards, Pat