News

U.S. soldier from Indiana accounted for from WWII

Tuesday, September 03, 2024

A bronze rosette was placed next to the name of U.S. Army Pfc. Clossie D. Brown on the Wall of the Missing at the Epinal American Cemetery in Dinozé, France, Sept. 3, signifying he has been accounted for.

Pfc. Clossie D. Brown in his Army uniform — U.S. Army Pfc. Clossie D. Brown

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Brown’s identification on Aug. 15. Brown, 36, was from Frankfort, Indiana, where he will be buried on Sept. 24. Brown was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II.

When a missing service member is recovered, identified and finally laid to rest, the ABMC places a rosette beside their name on the Walls of the Missing. This rosette, a symbol of eternity, is crafted as a bronze rosemary wreath—a timeless emblem of honor and victory. Encircled by the eight-points of a compass, it signifies America's commitment, reaching out in all directions to recover their remains from the farthest corners of the earth.

This rosette is one of more than 900 that have been placed beside the names of missing service members at ABMC sites around the world. Brown's rosette is the 34th to be placed on the Wall of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery, which includes the names of 424 service members.

A man drills a hole in a stone wall at Epinal American Cemetery — Jérémie Tailhades, a mason at Epinal American Cemetery, drills a hole in the Wall of the Missing to place a bronze rosette next to the name of U.S. Army Pfc. Clossie D. Brown who went missing during WWII and whose remains were recently identified.

About American Battle Monuments Commission:

The American Battle Monuments Commission operates and maintains 26 cemeteries and 31 federal memorials, monuments and commemorative plaques in 17 countries throughout the world, including the United States. The three memorials in the United States are: the Honolulu Memorial located within the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu; the West Coast Memorial located within the Presidio National Park in San Francisco; and the East Coast Memorial located within Battery Park in New York City. Since March 4, 1923, the ABMC’s sacred mission remains to honor the service, achievements, and sacrifice of more than 200,000 U.S. service members buried and memorialized at our sites. For more information about the ABMC, visit abmc.gov.