Remains of Roanoke World War II veteran identified after nearly 80 years

A World War II veteran from Roanoke has finally been identified, according to the Defense Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Accounting Agency, or DPAA.

U.S. Army Sergeant Mayburn Hudson, 21, was killed during World War II.

He was assigned to Company F within the 2nd Battalion, 330th Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Division in France in August 1944.

On August 8, Hudson's unit came under German fire.

Company F was ordered to storm a German position on a hill called “The Citadel”, but faced heavy fire.

The 330th Infantry Regiment suffered many casualties, including Hudson, but due to the intense fighting his corps could not be recovered.

He was initially listed as missing in action, and a few months later his remains were still missing in January 1945, when the War Department issued a “death report.”

In November 1944, historians said the American Graves Registration Command was informed that several Americans had been buried near Parame, near where Hudson was believed to have been killed. The group searched the area, finding several sets of American remains, but could not identify any of them as Hudson's.

The unidentified remains were later buried at the American Military Cemetery in Saint-James, France, today known as the Brittany American Cemetery.

Research by DPAA historians revealed that one of the remains may be associated with Hudson. Employees of the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed the remains in June 2019 and transferred them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

On December 14, 2023, Hudson was found. To identify his remains, DPAA scientists used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as other circumstantial evidence. Scientists have also used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.

Hudson's name is inscribed on the walls of the missing at the Brittany American Cemetery in Montjoie Saint Martin, France, and a rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate that he has been found.

He will be buried in Lynchburg on August 7. For more family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.