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Published October 15, 2026 10:56 AM CDT
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The Patriot Guard escorts the remains of Fallen U.S. Marine Pvt. Ernest LaVerne Lund at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as they arrived for repatriation. (Supplied)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The remains of a U.S. Marine who was killed during World War II are returning home for repatriation after being identified earlier this year.
Minnesota World War II veteran's remains repatriated
Pvt. Ernest LaVerne Lund, from Markville, Minnesota, was killed in the West Loch Disaster on May 21, 1944, according to his obituary. Kayakers then discovered his remains in 1985, and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced it identified the remains on May 14, 2026.
Who was Ernest LaVerne Lund?:
The obituary for Ernest LaVerne Lund remembers him as a "quiet and kind young man" who was born on Nov. 10, 1915 in Cannon Falls Township in a "large and close family of 14 brothers and sister.
Lund enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in November 1943 at the age of 27 and was assigned to Company B, 2nd Armored Amphibian Battalion, Second Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, his obituary states.
An explosion at Pearl Harbor, later known as the West Loch Disaster of May 21, 1944, took Lund's life as well as the lives of 162 other service members, with 396 injured.
Recovery and identification:
The DPAA said kayakers later found Lund's remains in 1985, and DNA technology, paired with samples from Lund's family, were used to account for his remains after disinterring the grave of unknown service members back in May 2026.
What's next:
Pvt. Lund's obituary states he will lie in state at Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home in Webster from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Thursday and Friday.
A funeral service celebrating his life is set for this weekend at Markville Cemetery.
West Loch Disaster of 1944
The backstory:
According to the Commander, Navy Installations Command, the West Loch Disaster happened when 34 ships gathered close together at Pearl Harbor's West Loch to load ammunition and supplies to prepare for the invasion of Saipan.
An explosion on one of the ships at 3:08 p.m. set off a chain reaction that killed 163 service members and wounded 396 others. Six ships also sunk and others were severely damaged.
The Source: This story uses information from the obituary of Ernest LaVerne Lund and details shared by his family.
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