Remains of WWII Pilot Returned to Family After 70 Years
First Lt. Herbert V. "Buddy" Young Jr., who was "missing in action" for more than 7 decades after his plane was shot down in World War II, returned home this week.
His remains, found in the jungles of New Guinea, were handed over to his daughter Diana Young Long. Buddy's wife Zoeleen McLain was pregnant with Diana when he went to war. News of his death reached when she was just an infant.
According to USA Today, anti-aircraft rounds had blasted Buddy's B-24 bomber.
Zoeleen and Buddy married in 1941, just months before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Like numerous others, he also signed up to fight. He became a pilot after joining the U.S. Army Air Forces. Buddy had earned his wings at the old flight-training center in Mesa, Williams Field, aftert that he joined the 5th Air Force Command, 90th Bomber Group, 321st Bombardment Squadron.
On the fateful day, Buddy was informed that his plane was not in any condition to be flown so he would have to join a different crew on the Hot Garters B-24D to serve as a co-pilot, Verde Independent reports. By that time, he had considerable experience in flying aircrafts - with successful accomplishment of 43 combat missions for approximately 300 hours.
Zoeleen's sister, Joyce McLain Peters, terms Buddy's letters from overseas as "thoughtful and funny". She mentions that in some of them, he also talked about the child that his wife was carrying.
"He was just such a sweet, clever, handsome guy. I thought the world of him," said Joyce, who still lives in Prescott.
PacificWrecks, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to researching World War II crashes and battles set out on recovery expeditions in 2001 along with the army.
Military records state that a series of at least four expeditions were carried out in the next 13 years.
This spring, Diana received a call from the U.S. Army saying that bones and teeth were compared with Buddy's sister's DNA samples, which were collected before she died. They matched.
After 70 years, that hole in her life was finally filled. Her dad came home.
As many as 100 people including family attended Buddy's interment Wednesday. Bagpipes played in the background and an honour-guard delivered a 15-gun salute. Buddy finally rests in peace near his dear ones at the Prescott National Cemetry.
