A soldier from Martinsville who was killed during World War II has been accounted for, officials announced in a press release.
On D-Day, 34-year-old U.S. Army Sgt. Ivor D. Thornton was part of the second wave of the invasion on Omaha Beach and exited the landing craft at about 7 a.m. He was last seen wading ashore but was not seen after that.
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On June 7, 1944, the day after the invasion, Thornton’s unit searched for him but to no avail. He was then listed as missing in action. A day later, officials recovered remains from Omaha Beach but were unable to positively identify them. The remains were interred in the U.S. Military Cemetery (USMC) at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, adjacent to Omaha Beach.
In 2022, Thornton’s family, in addition to the family of another missing soldier, asked for the remains to be disinterred and compared to Thornton and the other soldier.
In September 2023, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed the remains and transferred them to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Thornton’s remains, scientists conducted dental and anthropological analyses as well as a mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Thornton’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Thornton will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at 800-892-2490.