Louis F. Berendt

LOUIS F. BERENDT

     Louise F. Berendt, 25, was born September 30, 1917. Sgt. Berendt was serving in the U.S. Army with the 31st Infantry Regiment in the Philippines when the U.S. entered World War II. With the surrender of U.S. forces in the Philippines in the spring of 1942, he became a prisoner of the Japanese, and on October 28, 1942 he reportedly died of dysentery and malnutrition in the Cabanatuan POW Camp Hospital on Luzon, Philippines.

     Following the war, U.S. forces recovered the remains of American prisoners from Cabanatuan. Some were identified, but complications in the burial and recovery processes prevented the identification of many individuals, including Sgt. Berendt. He was ultimately identified on April 21, 2026 as a part of the Cabanatuan Project of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).

     As we welcome Louis home after more than eighty years, we are profoundly reminded of the immense cost of our freedom. We extend our deepest appreciation to Sgt. Berendt and the countless brave veterans who gave their lives in service to our country. Bringing him back to American soil is a sacred duty; it ensures he is finally given the proper burial, individual recognition, and full military honors he so richly earned. His return brings a long-awaited closure, reminding us that no soldier is ever forgotten.

     It has been determined that Sgt. Louis Berendt is entitled to the following awards and decorations posthumously: Bronze Star Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Defensive Service Medal with Foreign Service Clasp, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Combat Infantryman Badge, Honorable Service Lapel Button-WWII, Philippine Defense Ribbon with one Bronz Service Star, and a Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation.

     Louis is survived by his nephew, Raymond Berendt of Cass City; nieces: Barbara Larrabee of Grant Township, Susan Fouchey of Lynn, Beth Lynn Berendt of Marysville, Karen Sloan of Roseville.

     Funeral service held 11:00 a.m. Friday, November 6, 2026 in Kranz Funeral Home, Cass City with Brad Speirs of Novesta Church of Christ officiating. Interment in Novesta Township Cemetery. Military honors conducted by the U.S. Army Honor Guard and Cass City V.F.W. Post # 3644.