Remains of World War I Soldier to be buried in Lake Forest Park

Acacia Memorial Park Cemetery in Lake Forest Park

FORT KNOX, Ky. – The remains of U.S. Army Pfc. Charles McAllister, a Soldier killed during World War I, will be interred Aug. 21 at Acacia Memorial Park Cemetery, Lake Forest Park WA. Acacia Memorial Park Funeral Home will perform graveside services preceding the interment.

Pfc. Charles A. McAllister

A native of Seattle, McAllister was assigned to Company I, 3d Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, American Expeditionary Force, U.S. Army, in France. 

He was reported missing in action July 19, 1918, and subsequently presumed killed in action during the 1st Infantry Division’s advance in the Aisne-Marne offensive in France.

In 2002 a French archeology company discovered two individual sets of what appeared to be WWI remains in the village of Ploisy, which the company turned over to U.S. government personnel. Years later, McAllister was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency April 15, 2024, after his remains were identified through laboratory analysis.

The Past Conflict Repatriations Branch, under the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky, plays a key role in the process of locating Family members of missing Soldiers from WWII, the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

The process begins with locating the Family member most closely related to the missing Soldier, known as the primary next of kin, followed by a request for Family reference samples or DNA, which are used as a main source in identifying remains.

Once a Soldier has been identified by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, the PCRB notifies and briefs the Family about the results of historical, forensic and DNA reports, benefits and the mortuary process including burial with full military honors.

Anyone interested in obtaining more information about the funeral and interment should contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490 and/or Acacia Memorial Park Funeral Home, (206) 814-7224.

Updated with photo of Pfc. Charles A. McAllister