Iowa Navy veteran laid to rest in Sioux City 80 years after his death in World War II prison camp

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - Navy Fireman First Class Robert Glenn Shove, who died in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War II, was laid to rest Saturday, Nov. 7 at Memorial Park Cemetery in Sioux City.

Shove was 21 when he died on Oct. 27, 1943, at the Cabanatuan prison camp in the Philippines. His remains were officially identified on Dec. 9, 2025.

A Navy honor guard folded the American flag during Saturday’s service, which was attended by Shove’s nieces and nephews.

From Iowa to the Pacific

Shove was born May 2, 1922, in Washta, Iowa, to George and Alice “Ruth” Shove, according to his obituary. He graduated from Wilson High School in 1940 and enlisted in the Navy that June.

Beginning in 1941, he served aboard the USS Canopus in the Pacific. The ship was damaged by Japanese bombs in the Philippines and was scuttled after U.S. forces surrendered in April 1942.

Records confirm Shove was at the Cabanatuan camp in June 1942, though it is unclear when he was imprisoned. He was admitted to the camp hospital that September and continued to have health problems before his death.

Identification and return

Shove was initially buried at the Cabanatuan Camp No. 1 Cemetery. His remains were later exhumed but could not be identified and were reinterred at Fort McKinley Cemetery. They were disinterred again in 2019 for further assessment.

Nephew Edward Poole said he had attended Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency meetings and had been told an identification might be coming. Then, on New Year’s Eve, he received a call.

“They called me and said we’ve got him,” Poole said.

Poole said the agency kept the family informed throughout the process and that the family had been working on the effort for more than a year.

“It’s been a labor of love, though,” he said.

Michael O’Brien, Shove’s nephew, described the news as surreal. After the service, he said it brought him closure.

“It’s just the end of a long journey. It’s just amazing. And I just feel grateful, so grateful,” said O’Brien.

O’Brien also thanked the people who attended.

“The people that have come out for this, it just shows that there’s really a care still in this country,” he said.

Search continues

Navy Rear Adm. Michael Van Poots says more than 80,000 service members remain unaccounted for, and an estimated more than 38,000 are recoverable.

He says more than 800 service members have been identified and received ceremonies like Shove’s over the past four years.

“No matter how long it takes, we’ll never leave a service member behind,” Van Poots said.

John Ludwick, post commander of American Legion Post 307 in South Sioux City, joined other Siouxland veterans at the service.

“Well, it’s always an honor because many of us are sons of World War II veterans. So our dads were our heroes. So this is always an honor to honor our World War II heroes,” said Ludwick.

Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all Iowa state flags flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset Saturday in Shove’s honor.

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