(Jackson, MN)--A Jackson, MN native, who was killed in World War II more than 80 years ago, is finally returning home.

Lt. Thomas Ruth died while he was on an aerial mission in the Pacific on June 30th, 1943. Ruth’s plane was believed to have crashed in the jungle on Munda, one of the Solomon Islands.

After missing for about two and a half years, Ruth was declared dead in January 1946. In 2013, an investigation team found a Wildcat crash site. Remains found inside the crashed plane were thought to be “reasonably associated” with Ruth. Those same remains were later analyzed in a laboratory and compared with family reference samples.

A positive identification of Lt. Thomas Ruth was made in April 2025.

Now, he is set to be buried in his hometown of Jackson on Wednesday, May 27th. His burial will take place at Riverside Cemetery at 11 a.m.