GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — A Grand Haven soldier killed in World War II has officially been accounted for.

U.S. Army Technician Fifth Grade Ell T. Simantz, 23, was announced as being accounted for on May 9 by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).

Simantz's family recently received their full briefing on how he came to be identified, so DPAA decided to release additional details.

In late 1942, Simantz was assigned to Service Company, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division. He was deployed in present-day Papua New Guinea.

Simantz was reportedly killed in action on Dec. 19, 1942, during an Allied campaign against fortified enemy positions in Papua New Guinea. His remains weren't recovered.

After the war, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), the military unit re

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