Remains of Ohio Valley native and World War II soldier to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery

The remains of U.S. Army Tech Sgt., William F. Teaff a Soldier killed during World War II will be interred July 25 in Arlington National Cemetery.

A native of Steubenville, Ohio, Teaff was a radio operator assigned to the 351st Bombardment Squadron, 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 8th Air Force. During a bombing mission March 6, 1944, the B-17 Flying Fortress, on which he was serving, was attacked by German fighters.

Teaff bailed from the aircraft before it blew up but was captured and died a prisoner of war July 10, 1944, at age 26.

Teaff was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency April 20, 2022, after Soldiers’ remains were excavated from the crash site in August 2021 for laboratory analysis.

The Past Conflict Repatriations Branch, under the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky, plays a key role in the process of locating Family members of missing Soldiers from WWII, the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

The process begins with locating the Family member most closely related to the missing Soldier, known as the primary next of kin, followed by a request for Family reference samples or DNA, which are used as a main source in identifying remains.

Once a Soldier has been identified by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, the PCRB notifies and briefs the Family about the results of historical, forensic and DNA reports, benefits and the mortuary process including burial with full military honors.

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