New Mexico WWII POW Identified: Corporal Richard A. Veal Accounted For After 80 Years
POLICY WIRE — Washington D.C., USA — A World War II serviceman from New Mexico, Corporal Richard A. Veal, has finally been accounted for, more than eight decades after his capture and subsequent...
POLICY WIRE — Washington D.C., USA — A World War II serviceman from New Mexico, Corporal Richard A. Veal, has finally been accounted for, more than eight decades after his capture and subsequent death as a prisoner of war.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) made the announcement on Monday, confirming that Cpl. Veal was officially identified on September 29, 2025. His family in Albuquerque received a comprehensive briefing regarding his identification before the public disclosure. This Friday, Cpl. Veal will be laid to rest in Santa Fe.
A Soldier’s Fateful Deployment
Corporal Veal, then 36 years old, served with Battery C, 200th Coast Artillery Regiment. His unit was deployed in the Philippine Islands when Japanese forces launched their invasion in December 1941. Fierce combat ensued, culminating in the surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, followed by Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
Thousands of American and Filipino service members, including Cpl. Veal, were captured during these campaigns and subsequently interned in prisoner-of-war camps. Veal was among those reported captured following the surrender of U.S. forces in Bataan. These prisoners were subjected to the brutal 65-mile Bataan Death March before being confined at Cabanatuan POW Camp No. 1, where over 2,500 prisoners perished during the war.
Historical records from the prison camp indicate that Corporal Veal died on December 27, 1942. His remains were interred alongside other deceased prisoners in Common Grave 837 within the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery.
Decades of Unidentified Remains
Following the cessation of hostilities, personnel from the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) undertook the grim task of exhuming those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery. The remains were then relocated to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum situated near Manila. Despite their efforts, the AGRS recovered two sets of remains from Common Grave 837 that could not be identified.
These unidentified remains were subsequently designated as ‘Unknowns’ and buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM), where their graves were meticulously cared for by the American Battle Monuments Commission for over 70 years.
The Scientific Breakthrough
A new chapter in the search for answers began in December 2020 with the launch of the Cabanatuan Project by the DPAA. As part of this initiative, the remains associated with Common Grave 837 were exhumed once more and transported to the DPAA laboratory for advanced analysis.
Scientists employed a combination of sophisticated techniques to identify Cpl. Veal:
- Dental Analysis: Examination of dental records.
- Anthropological Analysis: Study of skeletal remains.
- Circumstantial Evidence: Integration of historical and contextual information.
Through these meticulous efforts, experts definitively identified Corporal Richard A. Veal. With his identity now confirmed, a rosette will be affixed next to his name on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines, a permanent tribute to his service and sacrifice.
