Remains of Charleston WWII soldier identified, burial in Coles County

The list of these veterans will soon grow by one, US Army Pvt. Harold O. Poulter, 23, of Charleston, who fell nearly eight decades ago in Germany during World War II but whose remains were only recently identified.

A public graveside service with full military rites for Poulter is planned for June 4 at 2 p.m. at the Janesville Cemetery, where his parents and other family members are buried.

Poulter's niece, Lynn Graves of Greenup, said she was surprised three months ago when representatives of the Defense POW/MIA accounting agency contacted her, as the oldest member of his family, to tell them that his remains had been identified thanks to forensic analysis.

“I couldn't believe it, after all these years. It was 79 years later that they identified him,” Graves said, noting that she didn't know another family had already provided DNA samples for this operation. She said investigators also reviewed dental records and other data. “It’s just remarkable.”

Poulter was killed in action on February 8, 1945, in Biesdorf, Germany, while serving with the 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency reported that the remains of American soldiers were found in 1951 in a wooded area near Biesdorf, but they could not be identified and were later buried in what is today the North African cemetery of America in Tunisia.

In September 2022, personnel from the U.S. Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed this particular group of remains as part of their ongoing efforts to identify fallen service members. This decision led to the identification of Poulter.

The Defense POW/MIA accounting agency provided Graves and each of his siblings with copies of a book that detailed Poulter's service record and the identification process.

The information in this book helped Graves meet an uncle who died before he was born and when his mother, Mary Jane Poulter (his little sister), was only 15 years old.

Graves said she met extensively with Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and Army personnel as they helped arrange for the return of Poulter's remains, at no cost to the family, and to military rites at the edge of the grave.

“They were so compassionate with everything they did,” Graves said.

Additionally, Graves said she was touched by Barkley Funeral Chapel in Greenup and Toledo, Doric Products in Marshall and Rex Vault in Newton, who donated their services and a stainless steel burial vault.

Barkley Funeral Chapel owner Scott Stults said he was honored to help bring Poulter home and proud of everyone who worked to identify him and other fallen service members.

“After all these years, they’re still trying to find out who these guys were who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Stults said.

Graves said the outpouring of support also included motorcyclists from the Patriot Guard Riders who offered to escort the hearse carrying his uncle's remains from the Indianapolis International Airport to the Janesville Cemetery on June 4.

Community members are invited to gather at 1 p.m. June 4 on Toledo Courthouse Square to honor Poulter as his funeral procession passed through town.

Graves said the luck surrounding the identification of his uncle's remains also included the discovery that a burial site just happened to be available at the Janesville Cemetery, near the final resting places of his parents, Rowe and Bessie Poulter .

“We all thought it was great. Not only will he be back home, but he'll be right next to his parents,” Graves said.