Wake being held for WWII hero lost in Pacific in 1942

elwood euart

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) — A World War II hero from Rhode Island who lost his life in 1942 while trying to save fellow soldiers from a sinking ship is being honored.

The public is invited to attend the wake for Army Capt. Elwood Euart on Tuesday at the Keefe Funeral Home in Lincoln.

His funeral and burial with full military honors is scheduled for Wednesday in Pawtucket.

Euart’s body went down with the SS President Coolidge after it struck mines in the South Pacific.

Amateur divers discovered his remains and dog tags in 2012. The Army recovered his remains in 2015 and identified him after DNA testing. He was returned to Rhode Island over the weekend.

Euart was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army’s second-highest medal.