Nation ‘The closest I’ve been to him’: 80 years later, a fallen soldier at last comes home July 18, 2023 Mark Patinkin, The Providence Journal Comments Off on ‘The closest I’ve been to him’: 80 years later, a fallen soldier at last comes home George "Bud" Thomas died on a WWII battlefield in 1944. Decades later, his remains were identified and laid to rest in his home state.