Staff photo by Fritz Busch A welcome home procession for Medal of Honor recipient and New Ulm native Capt. Willibald Bianchi on Minnesota Street Friday includes Drew Schlumpberger, left, and Jack Schlumpberger of New Ulm. The boys hold a welcome home poster including a letter sent to his mother in 1944.

NEW ULM — A wide slice of humanity saluted and held hands over their hearts from Bloomington to New Ulm Friday as the Willibald Bianchi welcome home procession brought him home 85 years after he left to to serve gallantly in World War II.

Firefighters stood on top of fire trucks in their formal and work attire, saluting the procession on the entire route from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to New Ulm.

Oncoming traffic stopped on U.S. Highway 212, State Highway 5, 19 and 15 along the way. Police departments stood and saluted. Veterans held U.S. and Minnesota State flags. Men, women and children were seen recording the procession with phones at highway intersections.

The procession included 17 Legion Riders on motorcycles, four New Ulm Police Dept. vehicles, two Brown County Sheriff’s Office vehicles, a Minnesota State Patrol vehicle and other vehicles.

Six of Bianchi’s nieces and nephews rode a bus to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and back to New Ulm.

The grandson of a California man whose grandfather, Cpl. Fernando Ruiz Baltazar, served in the U.S. Army for six enlistments with the Philippine Scouts and died Jan. 25, 1942, in the Battle of Bataan, joined Bianchi’s family at airport terminal 2.

“The turnout of people (for the procession back to New Ulm) was 10 times more than I expected,” said Sue Marti of New Ulm, one of Bianchi’s three nieces in the procession. “We were shocked at all the people. It was just great, really awesome for us as we waved at everyone.”

Before the American Airlines Medal of Honor passenger plane landed Friday, Twin Cities television and print media interviewed the six nieces and nephews.

Sue Marti said the family was “shocked” when they learned the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) positively identified Bianchi’s remains by DNA analysis and forensic science last August, 80 years after he was killed aboard a Japanese POW ship.

“It’s an honor for us that people respect our uncle so much and it’s an honor to have him as an uncle,” said Sue Marti to Twin Cities media at airport terminal 2.

Bianchi received the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military decoration, awarded for acts of extraordinary bravery and heroism above and beyond the call of duty, risking their lives in situations of extreme danger.

He also received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in a combat zone, a Purple Heart with three Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters for being wounded in combat four times and the Prisoner Of War Medal, among other medals.

Bianchi survived the Bataan Death March and survived three POW camps.

The family received many letters from many soldiers who said they could not have survived Bataan and the POW camps without Bianchi’s help and care.

Steve Marti of Plymouth said a lot can be learned about the DPAA online. It is the world’s largest skeletal identification laboratory with two accredited labs at Hickham Air Force Base in Hawaii and one at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

Bianchi’s procession reached New Ulm after 9 p.m. Friday. After crossing into New Ulm at the 7th North Bridge, the procession stopped outside New Ulm’s Seifert-Bianchi American Legion Post 132, which was partially named for Capt. Bianchi. Bianchi descendants Drew and Jack Schlumpberger of New Ulm held a poster that read “welcome home cousin Bill” that included a letter Bianchi sent to his mother on Oct. 16, 1944.

In the letter her wrote,”We, the American prisoners here at Cabanatuan, Philippines leave for Japan in a day or so. If we ever get there remains in God’s hands. I am going to confession and Communion just in case. We sure had a rugged time so far. We all expect it to get worse before the end. You have to excuse this writing, but for two years, I couldn’t write at all. My right arm was wounded. My ulnar nerve was severed. It’s coming back slowly.”

Bianchi’s formal visitation is set for 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., Saturday at the New Ulm National Guard Readiness Center. Services with full military honors begin at noon in the New Ulm City Cemetery Soldiers Rest Section. Services include a 21-gun salute, New Ulm Battery cannon firing and a flyover.

The Brown County Historical Society opens a new exhibit, “Willibald Bianchi: “Beyond the Call of Duty,” 5-7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.