World War II prisoner of war laid to rest more than 80 years after his death

CHILTON COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC/Gray News) - More than 80 years after his death, a World War II veteran who was listed as missing in action has finally been laid to rest.

Private First Class Norman Thomas, of Verbena, was a 20-year-old prisoner of war at the Cabanatuan POW Camp on Luzon, Philippine Islands at the time of his death in 1942.

Thomas’s remains were identified by DNA testing earlier this year and then returned home to Chilton County.

Thomas was a member of 48th Material Squadron, 5th Air Base Group, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December 1941.

Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.

During that time, U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps.

Thomas was reportedly among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp.

Thomas was buried, along with other deceased prisoners, in the Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 312, according to prison camp and other historical records.

After the war, the graves of those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery were exhumed, and 37 sets of remains from Common Grave 312 were discovered.

Twelve graveside identification tags were made, leaving 25 unidentified, including Thomas. He was declared ‘non-recoverable’ on Oct. 5, 1949, and he was buried as an ‘Unknown’ at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM).

In August 2014, the remains associated with Common Grave 312 were uncovered and sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) laboratory for analysis.

To identify Thomas’s remains, scientists used dental and anthropological analysis, mitochondrial DNA analysis and mitochondrial genome sequencing data.

After his family was notified of the positive identification, Thomas was properly buried July 17, 2025, at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church with full military honors.

Following visitation and service at Martin Funeral Home in Clanton, Thomas’s remains were carried to the cemetery. A rosette was placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.