The remains of a World War II airman have been returned to his home state of New York more than 80 years after his death.
2nd Lt. Joseph Leroy (“Roy”) Burke, a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot from Troy, N.Y., had been listed as missing in action after a transport ship was sunk by U.S. forces in 1944, unaware it carried Allied prisoners of war.
His remains were among hundreds buried as unidentified at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu until they were disinterred and identified in 2025 using family-provided DNA.
Burke, who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces after the fall of Corregidor in 1942, was one of approximately 1,600 POWs aboard the unmarked vessel when it was attacked.
“It is a great honor to welcome home a New Yorker who fought and died for our country, and the freedom and rights we have today,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
A military honor guard received Burke’s remains upon their return to Albany International Airport on May 1. He is scheduled to be laid to rest at Saratoga National Cemetery following services at Siena College.
