World War II POW's remains return to Colorado home 82 years after Bataan Death March

A 25-year-old soldier from Colorado whose remains were identified 82 years after he died as a prisoner of war during World War II was honored Saturday in Pueblo in a ceremony attended by numerous family members and veterans.

Technician Fifth Grade Clifford Harley Strickland of the U.S. Army Air Forces was among those captured in April 1942 who endured the Baatan Death March.

On Saturday at historic Hobbs Field at Runyon Sports Complex, loved ones held a memorial service for Strickland, who was a native of Fowler, a small community about 35 minutes southeast of Pueblo.

His remains were flown back to Colorado so he may be buried close to his parents, Clarence and Lydia Strickland, in Florence, according to an obituary . That community is about 40 minutes northwest of Pueblo.

"After 82 years, I think we've always had a little closure, but not as much as having him come home,” said Quita Smith, one of Strickland's nieces.

Background on Clifford Strickland

After his enlistment, Strickland was a member of the 803rd Engineers Battalion and part of the Philippine Department. The troops were tasked with defending the Philippine Islands and training the Philippine Army. He was captured following the American surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency .

The entire platoon was forced on the Bataan Death March. He was ultimately held in the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province, where he died on July 29, 1942. When the camp was freed in early 1945, about 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan.

He was buried in Common Grave 215 at the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery along with other American POWs who died while in captivity.

After the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed the remains of those who were buried at the cemetery and relocated them to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. Those whose remains were not identifiable were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial as Unknowns.

Decades later, in 2018, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, the remains associated with Common Grave 215, which included five sets of remains, were sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis. The laboratory analysis and evidence available confirmed an association between one set of these unknown remains as Strickland, the Accounting Agency said.

Strickland was the third of 11 children born to his parents in Fowler. The family — his father and mother especially — struggled to cope with his loss, the obituary said.

He wrote letters almost every week and it is evident in them that he longed for home, the obituary said.

"We know him through the stories they shared of him at family gatherings and reunions and all the pictures and letters that they have kept and handed down to us," his family wrote. "Stories of how hard a worker he was on the farm, how he liked to sing the song 'Cool Water,' how he loved horses and even signed up for a horse and mule unit assigned to the Philippines."

Memorial Service at Runyon Sports Complex

The memorial service was held on Hobbs Field. Close to 80 of Strickland's family members attended, including Smith, the niece and one of his oldest living relatives.

It was the DNA of his niece, her mother, Strickland’s sister, and one of Smith’s cousins that contributed to positively identifying his remains.

That step led to his loved ones finally being able to honor their uncle properly.

“It was beautiful, and it was very moving,” Smith said of the service. “We are very grateful to Pueblo for this and for everyone that took part in this, they did a wonderful job, thank you.”

In addition to a fly over and parachute skydivers, there was a 21-gun salute. Country music artist Colton James sang, and the crowd also heard a special rendition of Amazing Grace played on the bagpipes.

Volunteers lined the field with flags and posters honoring Strickland. These posters and flags were then presented to the family. In all, there were 82 flags and posters, each representing the years that Strickland was unidentified. His remains were then taken to be buried in Florence.

The Strickland family expressed gratitude for the memorial service recognizing that their uncle has been accounted for and to those who helped organize it.

More: Air Force veteran's family in Pueblo getting closure now that his remains are coming home

Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @chowebacca. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: World War II POW's remains return to Colorado home 82 years after Bataan Death March