WASHINGTON– The remains of a missing World War II soldier from Oregon have been identified and will be returned to the state for burial, federal authorities announced Thursday.

The remains of U.S. soldier William Calkins were identified after they were exhumed along with other unidentified soldiers and buried at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines, the Department of Defense said in a statement carried by Oregon Public Broadcasting.

The department’s Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which is tasked with recovering prisoners of war and missing soldiers, said Calkins was captured after U.S. troops surrendered to Japanese forces in Bataan province. After surviving the gruesome 65-mile (105-kilometer) Bataan Death March, he was held at Cabanatuan No. 1 POW Camp, where records show he died on Nov. 1, 1942, at age 20. He was buried with other prisoners in what is known as Common Grave 704.

After the war, his remains were exhumed from the camp and transferred to the Philippine capital, where they were buried as “unknowns” at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, the agency said. Their identities remained unknown until this year.

In 2018, the agency re-exhumed the unknown remains from Grave 704 and sent them to a lab for identification. There, scientists used DNA analysis and other techniques to identify Calkins’ remains.

A rosette will be placed next to his name on the Wall of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery to indicate that he has been found, the agency said.

Calkins’ remains are scheduled to be returned to Oregon in September and buried in the Portland suburb of Hillsboro.