Welcome home Pvt. Blanchard E. Pruitt, WWII POW

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The remains of U.S. Army Pvt. Blanchard E. Pruitt, 19, who died as a prisoner of war during World War II, will be interred Sept. 30 in Mitchell Cemetery, in Many, Louisiana.

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Pruitt was a member of the Medical Detachment, 31st Infantry Regiment, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands. He was among thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1. According to prison camp and other historical records, Pruitt died on Jan. 1, 1943, and was buried in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Grave 822.

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Short version: His remains were relocated from the Japanese POW cemetery to a mausoleum in Manila after the war. His original grave in the POW camp was mislabeled, and he was actually buried in a different plot, so his remains could not be properly identified or confirmed after the war.

Recently, through historical records, circumstantial evidence, dental records, and DNA testing, his remains were finally identified and confirmed.

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Although interred as an Unknown in MACM, Pruitt’s grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Today, Pruitt is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

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He was the beloved son of John Lee Pruitt and Quincy Louise Sims Pruitt of Florien. At the time of his death, he was survived by both parents and all seven of his siblings: Samuel L. Pruitt, Lois Lee Pruitt Manasco, James Eugene Pruitt, Johnny Ray Pruitt, Titus Nathaniel Pruitt, Mark Allen Pruitt and Luke Lamar Pruitt. All have since died.

Pruitt is remembered by four living first cousins and numerous nieces and nephews, and generations of great-, great-great- and great-great-great-nieces and nephews, all of whom carry forward his legacy with honor and pride. His memory is cherished by the extended Pruitt, Manasco, Lee, Sandel and Sims families, and by all who honor the service and sacrifice of America’s heroes.

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