Hero Square Dedication: Wing O. Hom

Wing O. Hom was born on January 10, 1924, and resided in Boston. Private Hom entered the United States Army in Boston and served in World War II. In February of 1944, Hom was assigned to B Company, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.

On February 2, 1944, Hom went missing while his unit was engaged in defensive fighting against German Forces near the town of Cisterna di Latina, Italy. After his body was not recovered and he wasn’t reported as a prisoner of war, the War Department declared Hom dead on February 3, 1944.

In 1946, a set of remains were found three miles west of Cisterna. Unable to positively identify the remains, they were interred at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. A DPAA historian believed that the set of remains could possibly be Hom’s. In September 2021, the remains at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The remains were formally identified on April 6, 2023. Hom’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery where a rosette is placed next to his name indicating he has been accounted for. Wing O. Hom is buried in Brooklyn with his parents.

Wing Hom was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.