80 Years Later, A Fallen Soldier Is Finally Home

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Oct 9

**29,353 days. 964 months. 80 years.**
That’s how long it’s been since my great great Uncle, 2nd Lt. Justice J. Buttala left home to serve his country in World War II and how long his family waited for him to return, especially my nana, his youngest sister, his only living sibling.
In the spring of 1945, Justice was a 24-year-old airman from Chicago, newly married to Dora Bell and father to a baby girl named Faith. He served as an observer aboard a B-29 Superfortress bomber based in Guam. During an April mission over Japan, his plane was shot down. Justice and four others managed to parachute to safety, but were captured and taken to the Tokyo Military Prison as a POW / MIA.
A month later, tragedy struck again. On May 26, 1945, a U.S. firebombing raid on Tokyo destroyed the prison, claiming the lives of the American prisoners held inside, including Justice.
When the war ended, his family was told that his remains could not be identified. They buried their grief and held on to hope.

A Sister’s Lifelong Wait

One of Justice’s younger sisters, Betty, my nana, was just a third grader when the Army came to her school to deliver the news. She remembers her mother’s face that day, the moment everything changed.

Now 88 years old, Nana has carried her brother’s memory for a lifetime. She’s shared stories of his kindness, his humor, his devotion to family, and his deep sense of duty. Every sibling, Libby, Sissy, Lee, Eleanor, Ellen, Bob, and Betty, kept his name alive through generations.

And this fall, after eight decades of waiting, Nana finally welcomed her big brother home.

**Identified at Last**

On January 14, 2025, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Justice’s remains had been positively identified through modern mitochondrial DNA testing. Nana and her sister, Ellen who has since passed, had submitted their own DNA sample to help with the process, assisted by their nephew Robert and niece Elissa, who represented the family.
With the family’s blessing, Justice was laid to rest at **Arlington National Cemetery** on Monday, October 6th, 2025, an honor that reflects both his service and his sacrifice with an incredibly emotional ceremony.

Faith Rewarded

At the ceremony, surrounded by dozens of our family members that stretched 5 generations, including two great-nephews who proudly bear Justice’s name, Nana sat as a living bridge between past and present.

“Family is the thread that binds souls together,” the family shared in their remarks, “and the safe harbor one returns to after every journey, after enduring both trials and triumphs. Today is that triumphant day, the day that proves faith will be rewarded.”

This homecoming also reminds us that even in the face of unimaginable loss, persistence and hope can change history. Justice’s identification became possible thanks to one determined citizen, Mike Krehl, whose grandfather perished in the same Tokyo prison fire and who refused to stop advocating for further testing. His efforts inspired bipartisan support in Congress and renewed funding for DNA analysis, proof that miracles can happen, even 80 years later.

A Hero Remembered

Justice J. Buttala’s story is more than a military record, it’s a testament to the enduring strength of family, the quiet persistence of faith, and the belief that every life deserves to be remembered.

Welcome home, Justice.