For more then 60 years, Yuman Jewel Marie Gresham had no idea what had happened to her brother, James Wilfred Turner, who was listed as missing in action following the 1944 World War II Battle of Hürtgen Forest.

Now Gresham and the rest of her family finally have some closure. Her brother's remains have been positively identified, following their discovery in 2005 in a shallow grave near the town of Vossenack, Germany, by a resident.

"Apparently he was out looking for some war-time relics when he came across my brother," Gresham said. "It still hurts after all these years. We pretty much knew something had happened, we just didn't have much information about it."

On Thursday, Turner, who was 19 years old when he was killed, will be buried at the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. with full military honors. Gresham and several members of her family from both here and in Oklahoma will be attending the ceremony.

"I never knew him because he was killed before I was born," said niece Charlene Lowe. "But this brings closure to the family."

Turner's wife at the time, who now lives in Texas will also be attending the funeral, along with her daughter. She and Turner had been married for less then two years when he was killed. The wife's daughter is from another marriage.

The Battle of Hürtgen Forest was the name given to a series of fierce battles fought between U.S. and German forces during WW II. The battle, which took place between Sept. 19, 1944, and Feb. 10, 1945, over 50 square miles of forest east of the Belgian–German border, was also the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought in its history, according to the Web site historynet.com.

"He had just got over there and wound up right in the middle of it. The poor kid never had a chance," Gresham said. "He got there in September and was killed in November. He and three other soldiers had been cut off from their unit and were killed."

The battle claimed 24,000 Americans; killed, missing, captured and wounded, plus another 9,000 who later died of trench foot, respiratory diseases and combat fatigue.

A not-so well known battle, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest was overshadowed by the American victory in the Battle of the Bulge.

Also according to historynet.com, the U.S. commanders’ initial goal of the battle was to pin down German forces in the area to keep them from reinforcing the front lines further north, between Aachen and the Ruhr (Roer) River, commonly known as the Siegfried Line, where the Allies were fighting a trench war between a network of fortified towns and villages connected with field fortifications, tank traps and minefields.

The Germans fiercely defended the area for two reasons: it served as a staging area for the Ardennes Offensive (what became the Battle of the Bulge) that was already in preparation, and the mountains commanded access to the Schwammenauel Dam at the head of the Rur Lake, which, if opened, would flood low-lying areas downstream and deny any crossing of the river - slowing down the Allies rapid advance toward Germany.

Gresham, now 87, was only 20 years old when her family was informed that her brother, who was assigned to the 28th infantry division, had gone missing in the battle.

"We got very little information about it," said Gresham, who has lived in Yuma the past 20 years.

Turner never lived in Yuma, as the family is originally from the Norman, Okla., area.

Gresham and her brother, who were very close, were the oldest of seven children in the family, so she said the news about her brother was particularly difficult for her.

Gresham and Lowe said although the German resident found the remains in December of 2005 they weren't notified until about six weeks ago, when he was positively identified.

According to a report from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, the German resident uncovered the remains along with some personnel effects, including a military identification tag stamped with his name.

The German resident then contacted the United States Memorial Affairs Activity Europe in Landstuhl. Germany, in turn, notified the JPAC on March 3, 2006.

The reports states that the location of which the remains were uncovered corresponded to the location of elements of the 112th infantry regiment, 28th Division, on Nov. 9, 1944. Four men from G-Company from that location, including Turner, had still been unaccounted for.

In addition to the identification tag, which had Turner's name and service number, he was also identified through dental records and DNA. According to the report, there was evidence of a possible ballistic wound to the head.

Lowe said when they were informed that Turner's remains had been found, they were visited by representatives of JPAC, who gave Gresham a small box that contained one of her brother's dog tags.

"When she saw that, she just broke down and cried," Lowe said. "It was really rough for her."

Turner's remains have been kept at Hickam since they were found, and where they were identified, and will be flown to Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning.

James Gilbert, Yuma Sun - Yuma,AZ,USA