In Memoriam: A Marine Comes Home 74 Years Later

This was a special Memorial Day for Mary Hagen, a resident of Ecumen Lakeshore in Duluth, who recently learned her brother is coming home after 74 years.

This was a special Memorial Day for Mary Hagen, a resident of Ecumen Lakeshore in Duluth, who recently learned her brother is coming home after 74 years.  U.S. Marine Sgt. James Joseph Hubert was killed in action Nov. 21, 1943, at the Battle of Tarawa in the Pacific Theater.

Thousands were killed in the bloody battle and many were buried on the battlefield. Sgt. Hubert was assumed missing in action all these years. Recently, Sgt. Hubert’s remains were found and officially identified through DNA testing.

Mary was only two the day her brother’s Purple Heart arrived and her mother broke down in tears. “He’s going to be coming home after all these years,” Mary said. “We will bring him back to Duluth and bury him where his mother is.”

Sgt. Hubert will be reinterred at the Soldiers Rest at Calvary Cemetery, 4820 Howard Gnesen Road in Duluth on July 15, 2017, at 11 a.m. All are welcome to pay their respects.

Several area media have told Sgt. Hubert’s story in depth:

WCCO

WDIO

Duluth News Tribune