Lynn soldier missing since World War II to be buried at Pine Grove Cemetery Nov. 5
Pvt. Joseph Gala, a Lynn English graduate who served with Merrill’s Marauders in Burma, was identified in 2025 and will be buried in Lynn.
A Lynn soldier who was missing for more than 80 years after World War II will be buried in Lynn on Thursday, Nov. 5.
Army Pvt. Joseph Gala, a graduate of Lynn English High School, served with Merrill’s Marauders, the special operations unit that fought behind Japanese lines in Burma, according to the Lynn Veterans Council. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says he was 21 and served in Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional). He joined the unit as a replacement in May 1944 and was declared killed in action on July 14, 1944. The exact circumstances of his death were not recorded.
His remains were identified through new DNA testing, the Veterans Council said, and the agency reports that he was accounted for on Sept. 10, 2025.
The burial
Solimine Funeral Home will inter Pvt. Gala in the World War II section of Pine Grove Cemetery at noon on Nov. 5. The Lynn Veterans Council shared the service on the community calendar. Event details.
Other veterans events in Lynn this month include the Marine Corps birthday flag raising on Nov. 9 and the city’s Veterans Day breakfast and ceremony at City Hall on Nov. 11.
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Sources: Lynn Veterans Council listing via Lynn Community TV; Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
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