Thanks to an Italian veteran, a tin canteen cup, and an Italian historical society, the family of Wesley Vietti Karna finally learned the details of their relative’s death while fighting in Italy nearly 80 years ago.

Brad Uren, Karna’s great-nephew, posted the story on social media, saying that the circumstances of his death were not clear due to the fog of war.

“Wesley’s mother wrote a letter to the War Department the day after the war in Europe ended, seeking additional information,” Uren said.

If any information was received, it was not passed on to other family members. Due to the pain of the loss of Wesley, his mother Ida and his eight siblings rarely spoke about his service or death. The circumstances of his service and death were largely lost to the family’s younger generations.

Wesley Vietti Karna was born on Aug. 24, 1922, to Finnish immigrants Erick and Ida Kara, in Adams Township, Michigan, where he grew up on Academy Street, not far from the village of South Range. He left for the European Theater of Operations in early 1944.

In April 1944, when he was 21 years old, Karna found himself on his way to North Africa as a private in Company F, 362nd Regiment of the 91st U.S. Infantry Division. After initial training at Camp White, Oregon, the division had participated in the Oregon Maneuver combat exercise, the largest military field exercise conducted in the Pacific Northwest. In North Africa, the division underwent more training, at Arzew and Renan, French Morocco. In June, the division was sent to Italy as part of the Second Corps of the U.S. Fifth Army. Karna was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 362nd Infantry Regiment, 91st Division, II Corps, Fifth U.S. Army.

According to the official History of the 91st “Powder River” Infantry Division, the division began its advance toward the Arno River in July. Progress was slowed, however, due to rough terrain, intense artillery fire, blown bridges and land mines. After seven and a half days of fighting, the division accomplished its mission and was the first unit of the Fifth Army to reach the Arno River. During the last week of July, the Fifth Army regrouped its forces along the river in preparation for the Gothic Line Campaign. By Aug. 1, the 362nd Infantry, positioned on a five-mile front running east from the small town of Buche along the railroad just south of the Arno, had organized defensive positions across the Division sector and was maintaining strong combat and reconnaissance patrols to the river.

Writing for the World War II Database, C. Peter Chien wrote in his essay “Gothic Line Offensive, 25 Aug. 1944 — 17 Dec. 1945,” that the Gothic Line, renamed Green Line in June 1944, was the final main German defensive line in northern Italy. The line stretched from the area south of La Spezia on the west coast of Italy through the Apennine Mountains to the area between Pesaro and Ravenna on the east coast. It featured 2,376 machine gun nests, 479 gun positions, concrete bunkers, barbed wire, anti-tank ditches and natural terrain favoring the defenders.

The Allied offensive to attack the Gothic Line was scheduled to begin on Aug. 25, 1944, but Pvt. Karna would not be among the attackers. The day before, on Aug. 24, one month after his 22nd birthday, Karna was killed in action. That is about all Karna’s mother, Ida, was told, according to Uren.

Wesley’s body came home in 1948. He is buried in Mountain View Cemetery, in South Range, on the same street that he grew up on. Despite the return of his remains, the family continued to search for answers, for details, for some closure.

“A fire that destroyed many of the WWII records in 1973, further complicated any search for his story,” Uren wrote. But then, something happened that finally gave Karna’s family some answers.

In his social media post, Uren told the following:

“Approximately one year ago, an Italian veteran name Manuel Noferini found a canteen cup in a foxhole position in the woods near Futa Pass, in a position known to be held by the American 91st Division, 362nd Infantry. This was Wesley’s unit. The name ‘KARNA’ was clearly visible scratched into the bottom of the cup.

“Manual could have put is find in his pocket and kept this treasure for himself. Instead, he sought help from other historians and veteran families including Andrew Biggio. With Biggio’s help, a post on Facebook to a small Michigan genealogy site by Randy Buelens led us to connect with Manuel Noferini and Gotica Toscana Onlus.

“Manuel is a member of Gotica Toscana, a wonderful association doing tremendous work to preserve the memory of those who served in the Italian campaign in WWII in the Tuscany region.

Now, approximately one year after this find, and with the assistance of Manuel Noferini, Gotica Toscana, Rep. Jack Bergman, and the U.S. Consolate General Florence, the family has gathered more information that suggests that Wesley was almost certainly killed as the result of an artillery strike on his position, and likely fell where the cup was found.

“The family was given the opportunity to visit the battlefield, to see the sites where Wesley and his comrades fought and died, and to help Gotica Toscana to place a memorial stone at the site where the cup was found. The cup and stone site represents the spot where Wesley fell. Dozens of members of the local public, local officials, and members of the Gotica Toscana attended the event to pay their respects despite pouring rain.

“Now, after a busy, emotional, and unforgettable trip, Pvt. Wesley Karna’s canteen cup is on its way back to Wesley’s Michigan hometown today with family. We now know much more of the story of Wesley’s service and sacrifice, and the service of all those who fought for countries in Italy in WWII.”