The Year was 1944.\u00a0 Robert McConachie was 17 years old and wanted to enlist and defend his country in World War II.\u00a0 Because of his young age, his father, James McConachie, had to sign a waiver allowing him to join the armed forces.<\/p>\n
His father acquiesced and Robert McConachie joined the United States Marine Corps.\u00a0 He was killed in action in Okinawa on June 14, 1945, in the final months of the war.\u00a0 He was just 18 years old when he gave his life for his country.\u00a0 However, Pvt. McConachie\u2019s remains went unidentified for nearly seventy years.<\/p>\n
In 1987, Pvt. McConachie\u2019s still unidentified remains were delivered to the Army\u2019s Central Identification Lab in Hawaii.\u00a0 Recent advancements in DNA testing, however, have helped the Pentagon link them to his brother.\u00a0 This year, nearly seven decades after his death, Army analysts positively identified Pvt. McConachie\u2019s remains using DNA analysis and dental records.<\/p>\n