WWII HERO FINALLY LAID TO REST AFTER NEARLY 80 YEARS UNIDENTIFIED. (PHOTO).

 WWII hero finally laid to rest after nearly 80 years unidentified

Law enforcement officials escorted the remains of World War II Army medic Nicholas Hartman to his final resting place on Monday, nearly 80 years after he was killed in action. Hartman, who was 20 at the time of his death, was laid to rest at Houston National Cemetery in a ceremony that included a military honors procession and a flyover by two vintage WWII planes.

Hartman served with the 500th Medical Collecting Company, 60th Medical Battalion, and died on D-Day, June 6, 1944, while aboard Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92 headed for Omaha Beach. The vessel struck an underwater mine and came under artillery fire, igniting the fuel and killing all those in the troop compartment, including Hartman. His remains were initially recovered by the American Graves Registration Command and buried at the United States Military Cemetery in St. Laurent-sur-Mer, France, but remained unidentified for decades.

His name was listed on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery, where a rosette will now mark that he has been accounted for. Hartman’s remains were exhumed in 2021, analyzed using anthropological methods and mitochondrial DNA, and officially identified on May 2, 2025.

Family members described the ceremony as a long-awaited miracle and a moment of closure. “I don’t think anybody thought this day would ever come,” said Hartman’s nephew, Norman Graves. Relatives paid tribute to his bravery and sacrifice, recalling that Hartman had been a student before answering the call to serve.

Hartman’s early life was also remembered through newspaper clippings shared by the Defense Department, highlighting his work as a delivery boy for the Houston Chronicle and his hobbies, including hunting, fishing, swimming, and playing ball. Despite his promising future being cut short, his legacy and courage were honored in a heartfelt ceremony attended by family and military personnel.