The remains of Freeport man, Harold Dean Pittis, killed during World War II have been identified, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in Washington DC.
Harold was born March 23, 1923; a son of the late Robert Vernon Pittis and Gustava May Milleson Pittis. He was a 1941 graduate of Freeport High School and registered for the military in 1942.
Surviving is a sister, Betty Louise Pittis Everhart of Florida and numerous nieces and nephews. Harold had six brothers: Bob, Herbert, Duane, Dwight, Dennis, and Bill; and four sisters: Shirley, Polly, Jeanie, and Mary – all of which are deceased.
In February 1945, U.S. Army Technician Fifth Grade Harold Dean Pittis, age 21, was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division.
His regiment was engaged in fierce fighting near the town of Beiersdorf, Germany, when he was reported killed in action by small arms fire on February 8, 1945. His body was unable to be recovered due to intense fighting against heavily reinforced German forces on an elevated position. Despite various recovery attempts, Pittis’ remains were not accounted for during or after the war. In 1951, the American Graves Registration Command recovered remains from a wooded area southeast of Beiersdorf. Remnants of military clothing, an American helmet and ammunition were found, but no identification tags or personal effects were located. The remains were designated X-8517 Neuville and interred at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Tunisia, known today as the North Africa American Cemetery.
The Pittis family was notified in 2017, and a request was made for DNA samples of family members. In July of 2024, Pittis’s sister, Betty Everhart of Florida, was notified there was a positive DNA match. Plans then began to get Pittis returned to the United States for burial in his hometown of Freeport. His remains are being kept at Offutt, Nebraska Air Force Base and will be transported by the US Army to his hometown.
The US Army will perform Military Honors in Greenmont Union Cemetery, 77098 Freeport-Tippecanoe Road, Freeport, Ohio at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, 2024. A social time will follow the service at the Freeport Fire House. Visitation will be held in Koch Funeral Home, 216 S High Street, Freeport, Ohio from 11:00 to 1:00 p.m. prior to the service at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
Koch Funeral Home, LLC
216 S. High Street
Freeport, OH 43973
740.658.3470
www.kochfuneralhome.net
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