75 years later, WWII vet's remains will be returned home to north Georgia

WALTON COUNTY, Ga. — The remains of a sailor from Walton County who was killed in action in the South Pacific 75 years ago are finally coming home.

Seaman Deward Duncan will be laid to rest next week at Rest Haven Cemetery in Monroe. A headstone was placed at his gravesite in 1944 without his remains.

“I was very small. My grandmother died when I was 3. So, we'd come down here quite often," said Darlene Phillips, Duncan’s niece. “The main letter they found, he had written to his mom."

Duncan’s family called him Junior. He was in the Navy during World War II and was killed in action in the Gilbert Islands in the South Pacific. He was 19 years old.

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“He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen to him. But he didn't want her to worry.  He wanted her to know how much he loved her," Phillips said. "It's hard for me to put into words the feeling when I seen that."

When it came time to recover Duncan’s remains, the military couldn't find them. Some 75 years later,

Phillips received a telephone call that Navy Reserve Seaman 2nd Class Deward Duncan is finally coming home.

“We'll be forever grateful for them not forgetting," Phillips said.

Duncan’s remains were found at a burial site on the island where he fought and died.

There's no one left in his family who ever met him, they've all died.

But Phillips said she's learned enough over the years to feel like she knew him.

“It's going to mean that he's finally home, where he should be. He's back home with his family, beside his mother, which is where she wanted him to be," Phillips said. “Feeling very blessed that we can finally do this, bring him home and give him the honor he deserves for sacrificing for our country."

Duncan's remains will be flown into Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport next week.

A funeral with full military honors will take place next Saturday at Rest Haven Cemetery. Duncan will be buried in the family plot where is headstone currently sits.

Cox Media Group