Long-missing soldiers come home

A Marine private lost at the Battle of Tarawa Atoll in 1943 and an Army captain who died as a prisoner of the North Koreans in 1951 are coming home to Spokane. The remains of Pvt. Herman F. Sturmer Jr. arrived in Spokane on Wednesday, and on July 6, another casket containing the remains of Capt. Melvin R. Stai will arrive at Spokane International Airport from Hawaii under Army escort. Both were identified through DNA testing.

Section:Gallery

Fri., July 1, 2011

U.S. Army Capt. Melvin Stai was captured near Wonju during the Korean War in 1951 and was believed to have been killed in a U.S. air raid at the camp where he was being held prisoner.

Mike Stai Courtesy Photo
Marine Pvt. Herman Sturmer at age 17. Sturmer's remains have been recovered from the South Pacific where he as killed during World War II.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review
1st Sgt. Dana Clark, left, awaits the remains of Pvt. Herman F. Sturmer, Jr. as members of the Battery P 5th Battalion 14th Marines Regiment prepare to bring the casket into Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home, June 29, 2011 in Spokane, Wash. Sturmer was killed Nov. 20, 1943, while his 2nd Marine Division was storming the beaches of Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, in the South Pacific during World War II. His remains were identified April 8, 2011 through DNA testing.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review
Members of the Battery P 5th Battalion 14th Marines Regiment carry the casket of Pvt. Herman F. Sturmer into Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home, June 29, 2011 in Spokane, Wash.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review
1st Sgt. Dana Clark, left, salutes the remains of Pvt. Herman F. Sturmer, Jr. as members of the Battery P 5th Battalion 14th Marines Regiment carry the casket into Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home, June 29, 2011 in Spokane, Wash.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review
Lexey Lyons hold a picture of her brother, Marine Pvt. Herman Sturmer, at age 17.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review
U.S. Army Capt. Melvin Stai is pictured on a military vehicle.

Mike Stai Courtesy Photo
Mike Stai, of Spokane, is the son of U.S. Army Capt. Melvin Stai, whose remains have been identified and will be returned to Spokane on July 6. They will be buried at Washington State Veterans Cemetery on July 9, 2011.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review
Mike Stai believes his father moved to Spokane in the 1940s.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review