North Dakota – Governor Kelly Armstrong said he was honored to help welcome home U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sergeant Irvin C. Ellingson, a North Dakota serviceman who has finally been accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, 80 years after his death during World War II.

In a statement shared on social media, Armstrong described Ellingson as “a true North Dakota hero” and said the long-awaited recovery brings closure to a decades-long question for his family and the state.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Staff Sgt. Ellingson was killed on May 26, 1945, while being held as a prisoner of war in Tokyo during World War II. After decades listed as missing in action, he has now been officially accounted for and identified.

Armstrong said the return of Ellingson’s remains marks the end of an 80-year journey for accountability and remembrance. He emphasized that North Dakota has long honored its military service members and continues to remember those who never returned home.

“And now he’s finally home. No longer missing in action. No longer a lingering question mark about his final resting place,” Armstrong said in his statement.

The governor thanked all those involved in the effort to bring Staff Sgt. Ellingson home, noting the importance of providing closure and recognition for his family after generations of uncertainty.

Officials said the identification highlights ongoing work by military and federal agencies to account for service members missing from past conflicts and return them to their families for proper burial and honors.