After 80 Years, Remains of WWII Airman from Brooklyn Finally Brought Home

After 80 Years, Remains of WWII Airman from Brooklyn Finally Brought Home

Edited by: TJVNews.com

After nearly eight decades, the story of U.S. Army Air Force Tech. Sergeant Kenneth J. McKeeman, a World War II hero from Brooklyn, has reached a poignant resolution. According to a report that appeared on Friday in The New York Post, his remains, unidentified for many years, were finally discovered and identified, allowing him to receive a dignified burial back in the United States. This spring, in a touching tribute to his service and sacrifice, Sgt. McKeeman will be laid to rest with full military honors in Connecticut, surrounded by surviving family members who, though distant from the days of World War II, still feel a profound connection to their valiant relative, the Post report added.

Kenneth J. McKeeman, who served as a radio operator, embarked on what would become his final mission on March 11, 1944. He was aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber, taking off from San Pancrazio Airfield in Italy. As was reported by the Post, the mission targeted the Nazi-controlled Toulon Harbor on France’s Mediterranean coast, a strategic point that was heavily defended by German forces.

As the plane completed its bombing run, it encountered intense anti-aircraft fire. Tragically, the aircraft was hit directly behind the rear bomb bay, causing catastrophic damage. Crew members from other planes reported seeing flames erupt from the waist windows of McKeeman’s Liberator before it ultimately split in two and crashed into the sea, as was detailed in the Post report. The exact fate of Sgt. McKeeman and several of his crewmates remained a mystery for years, their stories lost to the turbulent waters below.

The journey to bring Sgt. McKeeman home began with the meticulous efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Their commitment to tracking and recovering lost servicemen exemplifies a solemn promise made by the military to leave no soldier behind, regardless of the passage of time. As per the Post report, in September, through advanced forensic and DNA technologies, the DPAA successfully identified McKeeman’s remains, which had been interred anonymously in a French cemetery dedicated to unknown soldiers.

This identification process not only serves as a technical achievement but also as a deeply emotional closure for families. For McKeeman’s family, the return of his remains to American soil is a significant event. Mike McKeeman, his nephew, expressed a profound gratitude for the efforts that made this possible. “Those who knew him and loved him and raised him don’t know this is happening. But we’re still profoundly grateful to the military,” he told The Post.

In the absence of his body, McKeeman’s family held a memorial service at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, Connecticut, mourning him amid profound uncertainty. As was noted in the Post report, the initial recovery efforts in April 1945 by the U.S. Army at Toulon’s Lagoubran Cemetery unearthed 25 graves, which yielded the remains of seven soldiers from McKeeman’s bomber. Nearby, four other sets of remains remained unidentified and were later interred at the Rhône American Cemetery in Draguignan, France.

In June 2019, the Department of Defense, in collaboration with the American Battle Monuments Commission, exhumed the unidentified remains for further analysis, spurred by advances in forensic technology and genetic testing.

Family involvement was crucial in this process. The Department of Defense reached out to McKeeman’s relatives for DNA samples to assist with the identification. Indicated in the Post report was that Mike McKeeman and other relatives provided the necessary samples, enabling the use of mitochondrial DNA analysis—a type of genetic testing that traces maternal lineage, which was key due to its precision in matching remains to family members.

On September 18, 2023, the remains were conclusively identified as those of Sgt. McKeeman, finally giving his family the closure they had sought for generations. Also speaking with the Post was Caroline LaPorta, McKeeman’s great-niece. She expressed a sentiment felt by many families of missing soldiers: a mixture of sorrow for the loss and gratitude for the resolution. “We never imagined that we would ever end up identifying him,” she told The Post, reflecting the profound impact of this discovery.

As preparations for Sgt. McKeeman’s reburial proceed, the story reaches beyond the personal to touch on universal themes of sacrifice, remembrance, and the duty of a nation to honor its fallen heroes. It serves as a reminder of the countless young lives cut short in global conflicts and the ongoing efforts to remember and honor their contributions. As McKeeman’s remains finally return home for a burial with full military honors, the ceremony will not only be a personal moment for his family but a public expression of gratitude from a nation forever indebted to its service members.