1LT Ira Cheaney’s remains were identified, then misplaced, then buried at West Point. Then the Army buried the report that showed they had buried the wrong remains.
Ira Cheaney’s remains had been identified and his family wanted him buried at the U.S. Military Academy so the Army obliged and provided some unidentified remains and a headstone with Cheaney’s name on it. Problem solved until someone figured out that they had buried the wrong remains and they might be those of a Medal of Honor recipient.
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The Army’s 1950 investigation by the Identification Branch confirmed what many people had already begun to figure out. The remains buried at the USMA post cemetery could not be Cheaney because they were found in the Abucay Churchyard and that location was in enemy hands at the time of Cheaney’s death. Even worse, Colonel Clarke had told everyone that Nininger had been buried in the Abucay Churchyard where the supposed Cheaney remains were obtained so they could be the remains of 1LT Nininger or 1LT Maynard.
Whether through incompetence or a devious bit of genius we’ll never know, but the investigation report directed that unknowns from the TWO cemeteries at Mariveles – rather than those at Aglaloma or Quinnoun where the battle occurred – should be reviewed to determine if any of them were Cheaney. Of course they were not Cheaney as there were at least ten closer locations in the vicinity of Mariveles where casualties from the 45th and 57th Scout units were buried. There is no evidence that any casualties from these units were ever buried in the two cemeteries referenced in the report (Mariveles #3 and #6).
Numbers next to name correspond to index key
Numbers in parentheses indicate number of remains recovered
Excerpt from Bataan Cemetery Plot Locations Key showing that casualties of the 45th and 57th Infantry were buried at two cemeteries at Quinnaun Point and other locations in the vicinity of Mariveles.
- #6 Marivelles – Km 180. A QM Graves Reg. Cem (2) – (West Rd) & (rear of S.H on edge of Barrio)
- #7 On West Rd – End of side rd to W. fr about Km 188 – between Tilim – Lusong R
- #8+ Quinnaun Pt. N of River & Tr. Probably some 300 K.I.A. Quinnaun Pt attack (387 Jap)
- #9+ Quinnaun Pt. N of River & CR (crosstrails) Believed to be Maj Sam Jonas & Chauffeur Erickson
- + NOTE 3d Bn 45th P.S. 262, Co B 57th P.S. 40, 5th Interceptor Cmd 15, Co A 803 Engrs 35, P.A.A.C. 10, 1st Bn 1st P.C. 50 // 315
(X-3984 ML2 included a remark saying “ID disc bearing numbers 67—7117 the rest of the numbers were illegible.” This could be any of nine men with those numbers in their SN, but only one man was in a unit that was at the Battle of the Points.
MANANSALA, SILVESTRE, CPL, Service Number 6737117, 45th Infantry Regt, PS, Date of death: January 31, 1942). Corporal Manansala is listed as missing.
By 1948, the Cheaney family was getting a little impatient with the Army’s failure to return the remains of their son so they took their complaint to their Congressman, Richard Nixon. Mr. Cheaney Sr. told Rep. Nixon that Colonel Clarke had told them that their son was buried twelve steps to the right of the south center door of the Abucay Church.
The Army dug where Colonel Clarke said, found remains and quickly identified them as 1LT Cheaney.
On 24 February, 1949, the remains recovered from the Abucay Churchyard were buried in the U.S. Military Academy post cemetery.
Two years later, it must have dawned on someone that 1LT Cheaney was killed in action at Aglalona Bay, more than 30 miles from Abucay, and more than a week after Abucay was in enemy hands.
The Army’s review concluded that:
1. The remains buried at West Point were not those of 1LT Cheaney.
2. Colonel Clarke had provided incorrect information concerning burials.
3. Colonel Clarke had also provided incorrect information concerning the burials of:
1LT Nininger
1LT Green
1LT Wilson
1LT Maynard
1LT Compton
It also dawned on the Army that the remains buried at West Point had come from the Abucay Churchyard and they believed 1LT Nininger had really been buried in that location. Apparently, they didn’t realize that the belief that Nininger was buried in the Churchyard was based on the incorrect information provided by COL Clarke.
Finding the remains of someone who had been awarded the Medal of Honor buried in the wrong grave would not look good for the Army.
There was only one thing left to do, coverup their history of mistakes and bungling. Smooth things over with the families; get the witnesses to all tell the same story; and, hide the records.
They neglected the first rule of coverups – don’t write anything down.
When this, previously classified, file became public in 2019, the Department of Defense quickly and quietly disinterred the Cheaney grave at the USMA. Upon examination, they determined that the remains were “non-Caucasian.”
To date, the remains of 1LT Cheaney have not been identified. Lt’s Nininger, Wilson, Compton, Green and Maynard are buried as Unknowns in the Manila American Cemetery. The Army still clings to the theory that Nininger was buried in the Abucay Churchyard.
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