Tuskegee Airman Remains Identified After He Went Missing 78 Years Ago During WWII

Independent Journal Review ^ | September 6, 2023 at 10:14am | Jessica Marie Baumgartner

[Red Badger]

The Department of Defense has identified the remains of a World War II soldier who went missing in 1944.

The remains were confirmed to be 2nd Lt. Fred L. Brewer Jr., a Tuskegee airman of the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, in the European Theater.

The DOD offered his history noting, “On Oct. 19, Brewer departed Ramitelli Air Base, Italy, as one of 57 fighters assigned to escort bombers to their targets in Regensburg, Germany.”

“While enroute to their targets, the bomber group encountered heavy cloud cover over the Udine area of Italy, which forced several escort fighters to return early. According to another pilot witness, Brewer had attempted a steep climb to get above the cloud cover, which caused the engine of his P-51C Mustang, Traveling Light, to stall,” the story went on.

“It was reported Brewer’s aircraft had rolled over with the canopy jettisoned, but he was not observed ejecting from the plane. Brewer’s remains were not recovered, and he was subsequently declared missing in action,” the report concluded.

The case was revisited in 2011 when researchers discovered an Italian resident of Moggio Udinese, Italy, who found airplane wreckage and built a memorial for fallen WWII American soldiers with the materials.

It was around this time that the Unknown Remains X-125 Mirandola (X-125), a soldier who was recovered at the Moggio Udinese civilian cemetery by Americans in 1946 and buried at the Florence American Cemetery, were exhumed by the DPAA for forensic analyst in 2022.

DPAA scientists utilized anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence, while scientists from the Armed Forced Medical Examiner System matched mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.

Brewer’s name was placed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery in Impruneta, Italy. Now, a rosette will be placed beside his name to display that he has been accounted for.

[Red Badger]

PinGGG!........................

[Red Badger]

WWII Ping!....................

[ZinGirl]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_McGee_(pilot)

I had the pleasure of meeting this gentleman on a flight from Atlanta once. He let me take a picture with him. It was such an honor. He received a standing ovation at the gate, and Delta had a plaque up in his honor.

[Gay State Conservative]

THE GREATEST GENERATION

[Gay State Conservative]

If given the choice of meeting the Beatles or a war hero like him I’d take the war hero without hesitation!

[proxy_user]

My father flew with them on a mission on June 8, 1944. It was just milk run, bombing some submarine pens in Pola, Italy. They were probably just getting started. My father was in the 32nd Bomber Squadron, 301st Group.

[jagusafr]

I had the honor of meeting a number of TAs at the standups of their recommissioned squadrons (96FTS, 97FTS, 100FTS and 39FTS) of the 340th Flying Training Group when I was the Staff Judge Advocate of the 340th back in late 1999-2000. They were, to a man, extraordinary, gentlemanly and engaging.

Colonel, USAF JAGC (Ret)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Red Badger.

Search results for "tuskegee" in titles:

• Charles McGee, One of the Last Surviving Tuskegee Airman, Dies at 102 [01/16/2022]
• Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee Dies at 102 [01/16/2022]
• Joe Biden Conflates Tuskegee Airman With Tuskegee Syphilis Study [06/25/2021]
• Gaffe: Joe Biden Blames Black Vaccine Hesitancy on Tuskegee Airmen Training Program [05/26/2021]
• History Drives Distrust in Covid-19 Vaccines for Black Americans in Tuskegee [02/28/2021]
• Sharpton Warns Vaccine Might Be Racial Hoax Like Tuskegee Syphilis Study [11/22/2020]
• The Washington Redtails? The odds-on favorite to replace 'Redskins' gives a nod to the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII - and the trademark holder says team owner Dan Snyder can have it fo [07/14/2020]
• Dr. Fauci and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study victims [05/18/2020]
• Tuskegee Airman receives promotion to brigadier general [02/20/2020]
• REPORT: Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib did not stand when Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee introduced at the #SOTU [02/04/2020]
• A Tuskegee Airman Turns 95 [07/17/2019]
• Funeral set for Fort Worth's last member of Tuskegee Airmen [03/28/2019]
• Today in U.S. military history: the Tuskegee Airmen, and a Civil War naval commando raid [10/27/2017]
• Oldest Remaining Tuskegee Airman, a St. Petersburg Man, Dies at 101 [11/21/2016]
• Tuskegee P-51 Belly Lands At Dallas Executive -Pilot OK [02/03/2016]
• Elderly Tuskegee Airman has car and cash stolen while lost in St. Louis [08/17/2015]
• One of the last Tuskegee Airmen, Lt. Col. Eldridge Williams, dies at 97 [07/07/2015]
• The irony of Michelle Obama's shameless, "Woe is me and thee" speech at Tuskegee Institute [05/13/2015]
• Michelle Obama Should Have Read the Founder of Tuskegee University Before She Spoke There [05/12/2015]
• Lowell Steward, decorated WWII Tuskegee Airman, dies at 95 [01/17/2015]
• 2 Tuskegee Airmen die in Los Angeles on the same day [01/11/2015]

[tennmountainman]

No doubt.

[South Dakota]

God bless and welcome home

[Jess Kitting]

Tuskegee Airman remains identified.

Glad to know that he is still identified after all these years.

Great news. Great man.

[Gay State Conservative]

They were, to a man, extraordinary, gentlemanly and engaging.

And add to that their exceptional courage and fierce dedication to duty!

[mabarker1]

RIP 2nd Lt. Fred L. Brewer Jr. and Thank You for Your Service as part of the Greatest Generation Ever.

Y’All saved the World from the axis powers and unfortunately it’s going backwards now...

(((PING)))

[Lockbox]

What’s the Over/Under Joe shows up?

[mabarker1]

What an awesome thing to happen. Thanks for sharing your stories.

[SkyDancer]

They never lost a B-17 when they were escorting them.

[nutmeg]

If given the choice of meeting the Beatles or a war hero like him I’d take the war hero without hesitation!

Same here!

[New Perspective]

What an honor. Your father is a great man as were every single WW2 vet. Amazing men and women.

[spokeshave]

Tail plane assembly and front cowling in red