The remains of U.S. Army Private James S. Mitchell, who died during World War II, have returned to his hometown of Hamilton City. A special police escort and the Patriot Guard accompanied his remains through the city to Brusie Funeral Home in Chico.
Mitchell, known as Stanley, enlisted in 1941 and was deployed to the Philippines. He survived the Bataan Death March after U.S. troops surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army but later died as a Japanese prisoner of war in 1943. In 1946, the American Legion Auxiliary in Hamilton City was named in honor of Mitchell and another soldier, Clayton Zimmerman, as the “Zimmerman-Mitchell, Post 722.”
On Tuesday, the procession from Sacramento International Airport to Hamilton City saw community members and local first responders lining Highway 32 to pay their respects. Hilry Talk, a resident, expressed the significance of the day, noting it was meaningful to see Mitchell’s remains return home after so many years.
The procession concluded at Brusie Funeral Home, where firefighters and veterans honored Mitchell. Hank Irik, Hamilton City’s volunteer fire division chief and a Vietnam veteran, shared his feelings about the importance of honoring veterans, contrasting it with his own experiences returning from Vietnam. He emphasized the need for schools to teach more about the sacrifices made by soldiers.
A memorial service for Mitchell is scheduled in Hamilton City on May 3 at 10 a.m., followed by a full military graveside service at the Los Molinos Cemetery at 1 p.m., where he will be buried alongside his parents.
