Eastern Iowa WWII Soldier to be Honored and Laid to Rest

Decades after being killed by German soldiers in France during World War II an Iowa soldier will finally be honored and laid to rest.

Raymond U. Schlamp lived in Dubuque when he enlisted in the U.S. Army reports the Cedar Rapids Gazette. He died in September of 1944 after being wounded near the Moselle River near Dornot. Schlamp served three years in George S. Patton's Third Army. He was left behind after his unit retreated. His remains were not located or identified immediately after the battle.

The Gazette reports that last year advances in DNA technology along with DNA samples from relatives helped the Army finally identify Schlamp's remains. This weekend he will return to Eastern Iowa and finally be honored by his living relatives and a grateful nation.

The Gazette reports that a celebration of life for Army Pfc. Raymond U. Schlamp will be held at the Lawrence Community Center in Anamosa on Saturday at 10 a.m. The ceremony will include full military honors. A private burial will then take place at Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque, where his ashes will be interred in his mother's casket.

The identification process took over a year to complete. The Gazette reports that when relatives got the call from the Army asking for DNA samples, they hung up saying they "thought it was a farce." Now it is finally providing closure for a family that has waited decades for answers.

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