Remains arrive at JIA of WWII vet killed more than eight decades ago in France, now identified
A service of honorable burial will be held at noon Friday for Private Mack Homer at Tallahassee National Cemetery.
Private Mack Homer The remains of Private Mack Homer, United States Army, arrived at Jacksonville International Airport on Friday (June 17, 2026). His remains were recently identified in France where he died on July 7, 1944 in an explosion along with fellow members of his unit following the D-Day invasion in Normandy.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A United States soldier has returned home. The remains of Private Mack Homer, United States Army, arrived at Jacksonville International Airport on Friday in a coffin draped with an American flag.
His remains were recently identified in France where he died on July 7, 1944 in an explosion along with fellow members of his unit following the D-Day invasion in Normandy.
Homer was born on Feb. 10, 1924, and entered the United States Army at Fort Benning, Georgia, on Feb. 10, 1943, according to his obituary. He served with Company E, 364th Engineer General Service Regiment, United States Army Corps of Engineers, in the European Theater of Operations during World War II.
He died while clearing munitions from a captured enemy bunker. Homer’s remains were located and identified after more than eight decades and a service of honorable burial will be held for him at noon Friday at Tallahassee National Cemetery.
Homer’s services are being handled by Harrington Funeral Home.
“Harrington Funeral Home, Inc. is proud to serve the Homer family with dignity and respect, and we extend our deepest honor and heartfelt gratitude for the life, service, and ultimate sacrifice of Private Mack Homer,” the funeral home stated in a social media post.
Private Mack Homer The remains of Private Mack Homer, United States Army, arrived at Jacksonville International Airport on Friday (June 17, 2026). His remains were recently identified in France where he died on July 7, 1944 in an explosion along with fellow members of his unit following the D-Day invasion in Normandy.
Private Mack Homer The remains of Private Mack Homer, United States Army, arrived at Jacksonville International Airport on Friday (June 17, 2026). His remains were recently identified in France where he died on July 7, 1944 in an explosion along with fellow members of his unit following the D-Day invasion in Normandy.
Private Mack Homer The remains of Private Mack Homer, United States Army, arrived at Jacksonville International Airport on Friday (June 17, 2026). His remains were recently identified in France where he died on July 7, 1944 in an explosion along with fellow members of his unit following the D-Day invasion in Normandy.
Stacker compiled a list of 50 facts and figures that defined D-Day, using resources like the D-Day Center and the Department of Defense.
(Walter Rosenblum/U.S. Army Signal Corps/Galerie Bilderwelt // Getty Images/Walter Rosenblum/U.S. Army Signal Corps/Galerie Bilderwelt // Getty Images)
A command post is established on the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc during the invasion at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. (Stacker/Stacker)
American soldiers help the wounded come to shore during the Allied invasion on June 6, 1944. (Stacker/Stacker)
US Troops wading through water after reaching Normandy and landing Omaha beach on D Day. (Stacker/Stacker)
U.S. troops prepare to board landing ships in Weymouth, England, prior to D-Day. (Stacker/Stacker)
D-Day 80th Anniversary Ceremony At Normandy American Ceremony COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, FRANCE - JUNE 06: Headstones of U.S. military personnel who died during the invasion of Normandy are shown in the early morning light at the Normandy American Cemetery above Omaha Beach on the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 06, 2024 in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. U.S. President Joe Biden will join veterans, families, political leaders and military personnel in gathering in Normandy to commemorate D-Day, which paved the way for the Allied victory over Germany in World War II. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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