WWII soldier's remains laid to rest 74 years after battle

Associated Press

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — The remains of a U.S. Army paratrooper killed in World War II have been returned to his Pennsylvania hometown, 74 years after he died in the battle chronicled in the 1977 film "A Bridge Too Far."

On Sept. 20, 1944, Army Pfc. Willard "Bud" Jenkins was hit twice by enemy fire as he crossed the Waal River in the Dutch city of Nijmengen during the unsuccessful Allied effort called Operation Market Garden.

The 27-year-old's body could not be identified and was buried at an American cemetery in the Netherlands.

DNA testing over the summer helped identify the Scranton native.

His remains returned to Scranton earlier this month, and he was buried on Wednesday.

His 83-year-old sister tells the Times-Tribune she didn't thank this would ever happen, after so much time had passed.