WWII soldier receives proper burial in Butte after 84 years

BUTTE, Mont. -- Private Henry David Bordner is finally home.

More than eight decades after perishing while serving his country in World War II, Pvt. Bordner has been buried in his hometown of Butte.

Born in the Mining City on Dec. 17, 1917, Bordner served in the United States' 194th Tank Battalion in Philippines. He was taken as a Prisoner of War by Japanese forces in early 1942.

After surviving the infamous 65-mile Bataan Death March, Border died in captivity on Oct. 20, 1942, at the age of 24.

For the next 84 years, Bordner's remains had been unidentified, buried overseas at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial as unknown. Finally, in 2025, Bordner's identify was confirmed. This prompted the Montana National Guard to return the war hero to home state this spring, more than eight decades after his passing.

"Bringing him home to Montana, it was a long-awaited arrival," said Capt. Jacqueline Fogerty, public affairs chief for the 120th Air National Guard. "For his family, it brings closure. For us, it shows that it doesn't matter how much time passes. It's important that we bring our men and women who have died overseas home so that they can be laid to rest in the United States."

Pvt. Bordner's remains arrived in Butte on Wednesday evening via C-130 aircraft. A funeral service at St. Ann's Catholic Church followed on Friday morning. Finally, Bordner was buried with full military honors at Butte's Mountain View Cemetery on Friday afternoon.

"This means a lot, not only to Butte but the state of Montana," Fogerty said. "You can see it in the crowd--little kid brought letters to his next of kin to display at the funeral. You could just see the pride in everyone that was here attending this event."

Pvt. Bordner is now buried alongside his parents William and Margaret, as well as his sister Frances. Descendants of the Bordner family still live in Butte to this day.