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name
WALKO, John A - Date of
birth
8 November 1923 -
Age
20 -
Place of birth
Commodore, Indiana County, Pennsylvania -
Hometown
Commodore, Indiana County, Pennsylvania -
Ethnicity
White -
Religion
Catholic
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33763575 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
unknown -
Unit
C Company,
1st Battalion,
26th Infantry Regiment,
1st Infantry Division
-
Awards
Bronze Star,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
20 October 1944 - Place of
death
Aachen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten -
Walls of the Missing
* This soldier has been accounted for. A rosette has been placed next to his name.
Immediate family
-
Members
Charles W. Walko (father)
Mary Walko (mother)
Anna Walko (sister)
Samuel C. Walko (brother)
George Walko (brother)
Elizabeth L. Walko (sister)
Marcella C. Walko (sister)
More information
John Walko enlisted in Altoona, Pennsylvania on 28 July 1943.The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that Pfc John A. Walko has been accounted for on 16 July 2025.
In November 1944, the American Graves Registration Command at the United States Military Cemetery Henri-Chapelle, Belgium, processed a set of unknown remains, later designated X-99 Henri-Chapelle, belonging to an individual killed by mortar fire on 20 October 1944. Due to the condition of the remains, they were unable to be positively identified at the time and were reinterred at USMC Henri-Chapelle.
In July 2023, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed X-99 Henri-Chepelle and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis.
To identify Walko’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis as well as material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial, Y chromosome, and autosomal DNA analysis.
Pfc Walko’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery; A rosette has been placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Pfc Walko was given his final resting place at the Oakland Cemetery and Mausoleum in Indiana, Indiana County, Pennsylvania on 20 May 2026.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.findagrave.com, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census / Veteran Compensation Application File, Indiana Evening Gazette - 29 November 1944, www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Indiana Evening Gazette - 29 November 1944