Missing World War II Veteran laid to rest 80 years later
Dozens gathered at Tucker Funeral Home where a long overdue service was held for Burgess whose body has been missing in action since 1943. He was previously declared non-recoverable by the war department after German forces never reported him as a prisoner of war and no body was recovered. In the Fall of last year, decades of uncertainty came to a close as his family got a call sharing his body had been found.
'Taking care of military families is something special.. Today is something that we've never done before,' says Tim Tucker of Tucker Funeral Home.
'If someone makes the ultimate sacrifice not only for our freedom, but [others'] freedom…that just sends chills bumps up my back,' says Colby Joe Carver, Tucker's business partner.
Burgess was apart of Operation AVALANCHE, an invasion of Italy. He was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery with full military honors. A bugler played taps and three rounds were fired in his honor. A flag was presented to his niece.
'Right before [the family] walked into the to the funeral home. They were expressing how rejoiced they were and how happy this is to finally have him home. All of the coordination with [Fort Campbel for] the escort…. I mean that was huge for us. We've never seen that before. Having an escort with the body from start to finish that was truly incredible to witness,' says Carver.
It's all thanks to a historian whose research pushed for unidentified remains under the name x- 152 to be exhumed and sent to a lab. DNA analysis confirmed what they hoped.
Eyewitness News spoke with Burgess' great niece, Linda Burgess, in February after the family was alerted of his confirmed identity.
'I've been fighting tears all day. An epilogue has been added to this book. I've been trying to read it and put the chapters together all my life,' says Linda Burgess.
The World War II Veteran's name is on the walls of the Sicily-Rome American cemetery along with others still missing from the war. Now, A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. His story is no longer one of loss but of legacy.
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