Eighty-two years after he was killed in Burma, Pvt. Joseph A. Gala is coming home to Lynn. His remains arrive at Logan Airport on Friday evening, October 30, and he will be buried with full military honors in the World War II section of Pine Grove Cemetery on Thursday, November 5. The family has opened both the gathering and the graveside service to the public.
Councilor-at-Large Brian Field announced the homecoming at the start of the Lynn City Council meeting on October 27 and asked the chamber to stand for a moment of silence. Gala graduated from Lynn English High School, entered the Army in 1943 and served about 14 months before he was killed in action on July 14, 1944, Field said. “He’s a son of Lynn,” he said.
What the Army says
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which identifies missing service members, says Gala was 21 and was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), the jungle unit known as Merrill’s Marauders. He joined it in May 1944 as one of the “New Galahad” replacements sent to reinforce the original Marauders. After reaching the captured airfield at Myitkyina, Burma, his battalion advanced south from the village of Mankrin on June 16 against fortified Japanese positions north of the town. The exact circumstances of his death were not recorded, and the War Department declared him killed in action on July 14, 1944.
The agency announced on November 17, 2025 that Gala had been accounted for on September 10, 2025. Field told the council that the identification came through DNA analysis and an extensive search for family. The agency says a complete account of the case will be published after the family receives a full briefing.
The schedule
- Friday, October 30, 7:59 p.m.: Gala’s remains arrive at Logan Airport. A military dignified transfer will bring him to Solimine Funeral Home, 426 Broadway, Lynn. The public is welcome.
- Thursday, November 5: gathering at Solimine Funeral Home, 426 Broadway, followed by a procession to Pine Grove Cemetery. Burial with full military honors and a graveside service at noon in the World War II section.
“All in the city are welcome and certainly encouraged to attend,” Field said.
The council’s announcement is in the recording on Lynn Community Television. The identification notice is on the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency site.
