Pvt Arthur H. Kelder
U.S. Army Prisoner Of War (POW) in the Philippines

Background
Arthur H. Kelder was born June 15, 1916 to parents Herman P. Kelder and Julia A Lageveen Kelder in Chicago, Illinois. He attended four years of high school and worked as a hotel or restaurant manager. Nicknamed "Bud".

Wartime History
On April 4, 1941 enlisted in the U.S. Army as a private with serial number 36016623. Sent oversea to the Philippines. By December 1941 at the start of the Pacific War, he was stationed at Sternberg General Hospital and was consolidated in to General Hospital #2 (2nd General Hospital) on the Bataan Peninsula.

On April 9, 1942 U.S. forces in the Philippines surrender and American personnel including Kelder became Prisoner Of War (POW) and was among those forced on the Bataan Death March to Camp O'Donnell. Next, he was interred at Cabanatuan Camp #1 (Cabanatuan POW Camp). On May 7, 1942 he was reported as an official POW of Japan.

On November 19, 1942 Kelder was officially declared dead at age 26 and reported as "died while being treated". On November 19, 1942 he died of malnutrition. As one of thirteen that died that day and buried in a group burial in the camp cemetery at grave number 717.

Recovery of Remains
During 1945, the camp cemetery was exhumed and the remains transported to Manila #2. Four of the individuals were identified: Harvey A. Nichols, Juan E. Gutierrez, Lawrence Hanscom, Daniel C. Bain. The other ten, Arthur H. Kelder, Fredrick G. Collins, George G. Simmons, Evans E. Overbey, George S. York, Kovach, John Harold S. Hirschi, Lloyd J. Lobdell, John W. Ruark, and Charles M. Waid were buried at Manila American Cemetery as unknowns including Unidentified remains X-816 (Manila #2) that was in fact Kelder.

Memorials
Kelder is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablet of the missing. He also has a memorial marker at Union Ridge Cemetery in Chicago , IL. His remains were recovered and buried at Manila American Cemetery as an unknown at Plot A, Row 12, Grave 195.

During 2009, his family began researching his loss and studying wartime records, including his IDPF (IDPF) that indicated he was the unknown. The Department of Defense (DoD) refused to provide other records requested by the family under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In response, the family filed a lawsuit to gain access to the records.

and they requested the unknown burial be disinterred.

In August 2014, due to the efforts of his family, the unknown grave was disinterred and the remains positively identified as two individuals: Pvt. Arthur H. Kelder and Cpl. George G. Simmons.

Relatives
John Eakin (nephew) adds:
"A member of my family, Private Arthur H. "Bud" Kelder of the 2nd General Hospital, died at Cabanatuan on November 19, 1942 and was ultimately buried as an Unknown in the Manila American Cemetery. (Some of his letters and photos are displayed in the visitor's center.) In 2010, I obtained the records and determined what grave he was in and requested that his remains be returned to his family for burial in the family plot. The Department of Defense fought me every step of the way and it took two Federal lawsuits to obtain his remains. In 2015 his remains were finally identified and returned. I understand that more than six-hundred other men have since been returned to their families. Not only do these men deserve an honorable burial - at least to have their name on their headstone, but their families deserve closure in their deaths after all these years.

I grew up observing the pain and grief of the members of my family who loved and cherished Bud and it is a pain no family should experience. They had no grave at which to pay homage and all they knew was that Bud had died in a POW camp. I'm a veteran of Vietnam and like most I didn't expect to die, but if I did I expected an honorable burial and, hopefully, it would be in America, the country I fought for. I would be happy to help any other families who have lost a loved one in WWII and invite them to contact me through my website, BataanMissing.com."

References
NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Arthur H. Kelder
NARA World War II Prisoners of War Data File - Arthur H. Kelder
News "Japanese Prisoner - Pvt Arthur H. Kelder"
Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) - Arthur H. Kelder
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Arthur H. Kelder
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Disinterred Unknown Plot A Row 12 Grave 195
FindAGrave - PVT Arthur Herman “Bud” Kelder (photos, unknown grave photo, tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - PVT Arthur Herman “Bud” Kelder (photos, memorial marker)
Bataan Missing - Private Arthur H. “Bud” Kelder, First Unknown Returned to his Family

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