Ingwell Vernon Bartleson, 35

Ingwell Vernon Bartleson was born on Jan. 13, 1907, in Lake Mills, Iowa to Ingel Oskar and Adina Mathilda (Ingebretson) Bartleson. By 1940, Ingwell had moved to Cut Bank.

Ingwell was drafted into the United States Army at Fort Missoula and sent to Fort Lewis, Washington. He was assigned to the 194th Tank Battalion and held the rank of technician first class (Tec. 5). Ingwell survived the Bataan Death March in the Philippines in 1942. As a Japanese prisoner of war, he was sent to work on the Tayabas Road detail on the Island of Luzon in the Philippines. He died there of malaria and dysentery on June 12, 1942, at the age of 35.

His remains were identified from a mass grave on March 17, 2026, and sent to Hawaii for processing. The United States Army has a detail that specializes in identifying deceased soldiers. Through research and DNA samples, they were able to identify his closest living relative, nephew Warner Bartleson of Indiana.

On Nov. 4, 2026, Tec. 5 Ingwell Bartleson's casketed remains were flown from Hawaii to Seattle with a military escort on board. An honors detail met the aircraft and formally carried his casket from the aircraft to the funeral home vehicle for his final trip to Montana. The military escort accompanied Tec. 5 Ingwell Bartleson the rest of the journey back to Kalispell where he was released to the care of Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home.

A service commemorating Tec. 5 Ingwell Bartleson's military service and recognizing his family members who have proudly served our country will be held at Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home at 1:30 p.m., on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. 

This will be followed by a committal service at 3 p.m. at Glacier Memorial Gardens. Military honors will be provided by the Montana Army National Guard and the United Veterans of Flathead Valley.