COLEMAN, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The remains of a soldier killed in action during World War II were identified over the summer as U.S. Army Sergeant Garland W. Collier. He will soon be laid to rest in his hometown at White Chapel Cemetery in Coleman.

Sgt. Collier, a native of Coleman, was deployed to Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division in 1944. He was killed in action during an attack by German Forces near Opheusden, Netherlands at the age of 25.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), the American Graves Registration Command conducted a search for remains around Opheusden after the war, but were unable to find his remains. In November of 1950, Sgt. Collier was declared non-recoverable.

Historians with the DPAA began a research and recovery project focused on those who were missing from Operation: MARKET GARDEN in 2015. The team analyzed information from a set of remains recovered from Opheuden in 1946, also known as X-3324 Neuville. The remains were in Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial in Nueville-en-Condroz, Belgium.

These remains were sent to sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska for identification in 2019. On June 15, 2022, the remains were finally confirmed to be Sgt. Collier. Click here for more information about the missing sergeant.

On Saturday, November 12, Sgt. Collier will be laid to rest in Coleman at White Chapel Cemetery. Graveside services will be performed by Stevens Funeral Home. Veterans and the public are welcome to view his flag-draped casket at Stevens Funeral Home from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. through Friday, per his obituary. For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.

Sgt. Garland Collier’s name is one of many soldiers on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery. A rosette will be placed next to his name to show that he has been found and returned home.