70 years after death in battle, Jewish soldier buried at Arlington
Published September 12, 2014
Florence Gantt, a volunteer who consoles mourners at Arlington National Cemetery, speaks to David Rogers, the nephew of Pfc. Bernard Gavrin who died in Saipan in 1944 and who was buried Sept. 12 2014. (Ron Kampeas)
An Army Casket team lays to rest Pfc. Bernard Gavrin at Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 12 2014 while Rabbi Marvin Bash looks on. (Ron Kampeas)
ARLINGTON, Va. (JTA) — Private First Class Daniel Gavrin, declared missing in 1944, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in a Jewish ceremony.
Gavrin was given full military honors on Wednesday, and a flag was handed to his nephew, David Rogers.
Gavrin was part of an invasion force in Saipan, then occupied by Japan, in June 1944. Japanese forces subjected the forces to banzai, or suicide, attacks, and killed and injured over 900 U.S. soldiers.
Gavrin, 29, was reported missing on July 7 and declared presumed dead a year later.
A Japanese NGO last year uncovered remains in Saipan, now a U.S. territory, in an unmarked burial site.
Gavrin’s DNA matched Rogers, his nephew, now 82, who last saw Gavrin, his mother’s brother, just before Gavrin enlisted.
About 40 mourners attended the service at Arlington cemetery, led by Rabbi Marvin Bash, and the U.S. Army Band played Yigdal Elohim Hai, a hymn, and America the Beautiful.
