Latest news with #WallsoftheMissing
Chicago Tribune
23-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
World War II hero finally brought home to rest next to his parents in Chesterton
Army Pvt. Charles William Smalley Jr., a Chesterton native, was only 19 when he perished during combat near Marsanne, France, on Aug. 25, 1944, but no one knew where his body went. For decades, Smalley's remains were in a grave marked 'Unknown,' X-205, in the Luynes National Cemetery for American soldiers near Marseille, France. His name was engraved on the Walls of the Missing at Rhone American Cemetery in Draguignan, France. In an amazing journey nearly 81 years in the making, Smalley's remains finally returned home Saturday to the resting place next to his parents, Charles Sr. and Bessie Smalley, in the Chesterton Cemetery. Advances in DNA technology combined with extensive historical detective work made it possible for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to identify the remains as Smalley. The body was exhumed in March 2023, brought across the Atlantic Ocean and then positively identified on Jan. 25 at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. On a scorching hot and humid Saturday morning, people lined Porter Avenue leading into Chesterton Cemetery for the last leg of Smalley's odyssey. They stood reverently holding small American flags upright as the hearse with Smalley's cremains passed by. 'I got goosebumps. For someone to find him and bring him home, that's amazing,' said Red Stone, a Porter County Councilman who stood on Porter Avenue. 'This is what America is about.' Sabrina Bos, who was standing beside Stone and has a son in the Navy, chimed in: 'I am so glad he is home.' David Canright, former publisher and editor of The Chesterton Tribune when it was a daily newspaper, said that Smalley's story resonates with him because his father, Warren Canright, a 1944 Chesterton High graduate, was an Army infantry soldier in France. A picture of Smalley's olive green Army uniform, posted on Chesterton's Facebook page, was like his father's. 'If my dad had been a year older, it might have been him today,' Canright said. Jeff Crothers was there with his wife, Beth, to welcome Smalley home. 'It's unbelievable that technology would be able to bring him home. It's awesome,' Crothers said. 'How wonderful it is for the family.' Kay Smalley Howard, 88, of Stonington, Connecticut, the closest living relative as a first cousin of Charles Jr., said she was 'honored' to travel to Chesterton for Saturday's burial. Her daughter and two of her sons also came to the White-Love Funeral Home and the Chesterton Cemetery for the graveside service. Howard was only 7 and too young to understand the circumstances surrounding the family's reaction to her cousin's death in the war. Her uncle, Charles W. Smalley Sr., was only 41 when he died in 1948, and her aunt Bessie Smalley passed away in 1999. The family was first informed that Smalley was missing in action shortly after Aug. 25, 1944, and it was about a year later before it was determined that he was actually killed in action. After Smalley was killed, he was buried near the battlefield. A month later, his body, which was not identified, was disinterred and moved to the Luynes Cemetery in Marseille, France. In April 1951, Smalley's remains were declared by the U.S. government to be 'unrecoverable'. Earlier this year, Howard received a letter informing her that her cousin's remains had been identified. 'I thought it was a scam,' Howard said. She reached out to her daughter, Jody Livingston, who assured her that the correspondence was real. 'This is just mind-boggling, it just really is,' Howard said. Rev. Esta Rosario, pastor of Chesterton's First United Methodist Church, presided over the graveside services conducted under an awning in the middle of the cemetery, next to the gravestone for Smalley's parents. Smalley had moved to Chesterton at a young age and was a member of the First Methodist Church. He decided to quit high school in April 1943 to enlist in the Army. 'Imagine that this young man left the comforts of home, of being a kid in high school, to join the Army during the height of World War II,' Rosario said. Smalley became a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. It was on Aug. 15, 1944, that Smalley participated in the follow-up to D-Day, a secondary invasion of southern France known as 'Operation Dragoon.' Smalley's unit had an objective on Aug. 25, 1944, of repelling German forces from a mountain between Marsanne and LaCoucourde. 'Serving the military in World War II placed him right in the middle of the valley of the shadow of death,' Rosario said, using a phrase from the 23rd Psalm. 'Private Smalley was killed only 10 minutes into the conflict, according to a comrade's account.' For his bravery, Pvt. Smalley was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman Badge. 'If we could offer a final farewell to Pvt. Smalley, we would say: Thank you for your selfless service, for your personal courage, for being brave enough to fight the evil in this world even though it cost you your life. Because of you and others like you, we are free!' Rosario said. The service featured a 21-gun salute and the presentation of the American flag to Howard. Then the bagpipers from the Veterans Salute Indiana Pipes and Drums rendered a stirring version of 'Amazing Grace' to close the long-delayed homecoming service for Pvt. Smalley.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Remains of World War II soldier missing in action identified, to be buried in Dayton
The remains of a World War II soldier from Ohio who was missing in action have been identified. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] U.S. Army Pvt. James G. Loterbaugh of Roseville, Ohio, killed in World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 20, 2024. TRENDING STORIES: 'We've lost everything;' Families comb through destruction after 4 houses catch fire Chance to see northern lights returns to the Miami Valley $207 million Powerball jackpot won; Here are the winning numbers Loterbaugh was born on March 25, 1909 Hocking, Athens, Ohio, and was killed in service to his country on Dec. 11, 1944, in Germany's Hürtgen Forest, according to his obituary. In January of 1944, Loterbaugh joined the Army and served in Company C, 774th Tank Battalion, during World War II. In December 1944, he was a crewmember on an M4 Sherman tank. On Dec. 11, his platoon was separated from the rest of the company during a battle near Strauss. Germany in the Hürtgen Forest. By midday, the entire platoon, including Loterbaugh's tank, was reported missing in action, according to his Obituary. He was not reported as a prisoner of war, and Army personnel who searched the battlefield found no leads regarding his fate. An presumptive finding of death was issued by the War Department in December 1945. On Sept. 20, 2024, Loterbaugh was identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) using DNA and anthropological analysis and accounted for. His name is inscribed on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, along with others still unaccounted for from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name now that he has been accounted for. A public visitation will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, June 2, at Routsong Funeral Home located on E Stroop Rd in Kettering. Loterbaugh will receive full military honors and be buried at Dayton National Cemetery on June 3, 2025. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
WWII soldier returned home 80 years later; public services soon
Previous coverage of scouts planting Memorial Day Ceremony flags. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – A soldier who has been listed as Missing in Action for over 80 years will finally be laid to rest here in Dayton soon. WWII U.S. Army Pvt. James G. Loterbaugh, from Hocking (Athens), was M.I.A. since Dec. 1944. According to the VFW Department of Ohio, Loterbaugh's remains have been recovered, identified and returned to his family. A motorcade escort took him from Dayton International Airport to Routsong Funeral Home. 'Welcome home, Pvt. Loterbaugh. God bless,' wrote the VFW Department of Ohio. In the war, Loterbaugh served in Company C, the 774th Tank Battalion. In Dec. 1944, he was a crewmate on a M4 Sherman tank. On Dec. 11 his platoon became separated from the rest of the company during a battle in the Hürtgen Forest (Strass, Germany). By noon, the entire platoon was reported as Missing in Action. The Germans did not report Loterbaugh as a P.O.W. The following year, the War Department issued a presumptive finding of death. Loterbaugh was identified by DPAA from DNA and anthropological analysis. He was accounted for on Sept. 20, 2024. His name on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery will now have a rosette to show he has been found. His public services will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, June 2, at Routsong Funeral Home. (2100 E. Stroop Rd., Kettering.) A private, family-only service will be held on June 3. Loterbaugh will receive full military rites and burial at Dayton National Cemetery. To read Private James G. Loterbaugh's obituary, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Washington County native, WWII Army Air Forces airman finally accounted for
A Washington County native and Army Air Forces airman killed during World War II has finally been accounted for. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said on Thursday that 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick, 26, of Roscoe, was accounted for on Sept. 20, 2024. Sheppick was assigned to the 320th Bombardment in Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force in March 1944 and deployed in present-day Papua New Guinea, the DPAA said. On the morning of March 11, Sheppick was the navigator on a B-24D Liberator bomber named Heaven Can Wait. The bomber left from Nadzab Strip No. 1 in Papua New Guinea as part of a bombing mission against enemy positions on New Guinea's northern coast. Witnesses from other aircraft report seeing flames in the bomb bay of Sheppick's plane that were spreading to the tail. The bomber was seen pitching up before banking left and crashing into the water. Several aircraft searched for survivors in the area but couldn't find any. It's believed that anti-aircraft fire hit Sheppick's bomber and caused ordnances in the plane to explode, the DPAA says. After the war, the American Graves Registration Service searched battle areas and crash sites in New Guinea. It concluded the search in late 1948, and in 1950, AGRS officials designated Sheppick and his crew members as unrecoverable. In October 2017, DPAA partner organization Project Recover found a B-24's wreckage in Hansa Bay while making sonar scans. Recovery teams excavated the site between March 9 and April 13, 2023, and found possible remains. The evidence was sent to the DPAA's laboratory for analysis. Scientists used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence, to identify Sheppick's remains, the DPAA says. Also, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA analysis. Sheppick's name is listed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, along with others still missing from WWII, the DPAA says. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. Sheppick will be buried in Belle Vernon, though the date has not been set. For family and funeral information, you can call the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490. Sheppick's personnel profile is viewable at Sheppick's initial ID announcement can be found at this link: Sheppick. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
World War II pilot from Bountiful accounted for nearly 80 years after death on warfront
SALT LAKE CITY () — Nearly 80 years after his death on the European Theater of World War II, a Bountiful pilot has been accounted for. , Jr. of Bountiful, Utah, was just 22 when he was killed on the war front. Wilson was one of nine crew members flying on a B-17G Flying Fortress that took off on a bombing mission on July 8, 1944. That bomber, which Wilson was piloting, was struck by anti-aircraft fire before it went down near Monchy-Cayeux, France. Surviving crew members of the crash reported Wilson had been hit by flak and was still on board when the aircraft crashed. Starting in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater. AGRC had received information from Wilson's crew members detailing the crash, but there was no evidence that the crash site was ever visited. None of the recovered Unknowns – or World War II soldiers who have not been identified – were ever associated with Wilson, and he was declared 'non-recoverable' in 1951. However, in July 2018, a member of Wilson's family provided the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) with new information about the crash site. One of Wilson's family members traveled to France and met with witnesses who remembered the crash. The very next year, DPAA investigators visited the crash site. That investigation found a wreck they said was consistent with a B-17 bomber, which was then recommended for excavation. The first excavation was completed in 2021, with a second excavation being completed in 2022. All evidence from both excavations was then sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis. Lt. Wilson was finally accounted for in November 2024 after a thorough anthropological analysis as well as analysis of mitochondrial DNA, Y-chromosome DNA, and autosomal DNA. Lt. Wilson's name is listed among those on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. To indicate that he has finally been accounted for, a rosette will be placed next to his name. The DPAA also alerted Wilson's family to his identity and recovery. His remains will be transferred to Utah where he will be buried in a Bountiful cemetery in July 2025. World War II pilot from Bountiful accounted for nearly 80 years after death on warfront Woman arrested for prostitution in Springville massage studio bust Real Salt Lake heads across the Rockies for rivlary match against Colorado Rapids GOP fiscal hawks sink key vote on Trump 'big, beautiful bill' From student to teacher: A full-circle story of classroom impact Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
