HOUSTON, Texas — The Department of Defense (DoD) announced the identification of a World War II soldier who was killed during the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach, France. A landing craft carrying approximately 200 soldiers struck an underwater mine and was hit by artillery rounds, causing it to burst into flames.
On July 25, the DoD POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced the identification of the remains of Private First Class Nicholas Hartman. PFC Hartman died on June 6, 1944, as his Company attempted to storm Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France. On the morning of June 6, Hartman boarded Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92, with members of the 500th Medical Collecting Company, 60th Medical Battalion, DoD officials stated.
As LCI-92 steamed toward Omaha Beach, the boat struck an underwater mine, which caused it to erupt into flames. The craft came under artillery fire, which struck a fuel tank. The resulting explosion instantly killed the approximately 200 soldiers in the troop compartment. Due to the intense enemy fire, a search for survivors was not possible, the report explained.
LCI-92 on Omaha Beach, Normandy (U.S. Department of Defense)
Officials were unable to identify PFC Hartman’s remains at the time after a search of the landing craft on June 10. Eventually, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) recovered small amounts of remains from LCI-92 and interred them at the U.S. Military Cemetery at St. Laurent-sur-Mer in Normandy.
Starting in 1946, the AGRC analyzed the remains and separated them into four sets of unidentified remains, known as “Unknowns.” Further identification was not possible during that period, and the four Unknowns were buried at the Normandy American Cemetery.
Nicholas Hartman – Houston Chronicle KIA Announcement – Hartman married Erline Hartman prior to his overseas deployment. (U.S. Department of Defense)
DOD officials later exhumed the remains and began mitochondrial DNA analysis, which led to the identification of PFC Hartman’s remains on May 2, 2025. A rosette will now be placed next to Hartman’s name on the Walls of the Missing at the Normandy American Cemetery — an indication that he has been identified and is no longer missing.
KHOU CBS11 in Houston reported that Hartman was 20-years-old when he was killed on June 6, 1944. DNA provided by family members led to the identification of his remains and the planned return to his home in Houston.
KHOU reported:
“I was really happy that they found him and excited. I couldn’t believe they had found him after all these years,” said Celestia Hankel, Hartman’s grandniece who lives in Louisiana.
“Pretty astonished,” said Norman Graves, Hartman’s nephew who now lives in Washington state. “I know we had sent in DNA testing from an Army representative, and I never expected there to be anything of it.”
Before entering the Army during WWII, Hartman delivered newspapers for the Houston Chronicle as a teenage boy. The local newspaper featured Hartman in a feature article where he said, “I am using the money I make on my route to help my mother take care of household expenses and to pay for clothing and other needed things.” He added that, after school, he would like to start a business. Like many boys of that era, Hartman said he enjoyed hunting and fishing, swimming, playing ball, and going to the movies. Before his enlistment into the Army Medical Corps, Hartman worked for the Houston Shipbuilding Company.
Nicholas Hartman — Houston Chronicle Delivery Boy (U.S. Department of Defense)
Instead of going into business, Hartman went to war and sacrificed his life in service to our country and the world.
U.S. Department of Defense
Graves told the local CBS affiliate that Hartman’s mother never stopped waiting for his return. Now, he will be buried next to his mother at the Hollywood Cemetery in the Houston Heights. He will be buried with full military honors — 81 years after his tragic death.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran and serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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