A U.S. Army branch dedicated to identifying soldiers considered missing in action successfully located the remains of a Richmond native and bomber pilot at the Normandy American Cemetery in France.
On Oct. 25, that young pilot, 23-year-old Bruce H. Brown, will be honored with a ceremonial burial at Houston National Cemetery.
Brown died Dec. 20, 1942, while co-piloting a B-17F “Flying Fortress” during a bombing raid on a German aircraft factory in Romilly-sur-Seine, France. His plane crashed after being struck by anti-aircraft fire. He was among eight crew members killed.
Brown remained missing in action. But in 2011, a family member of one of the crew members on Brown’s plane, named the Danellen, contacted the Department of Defense after visiting the crash site and interviewing a witness who had artifacts belonging to the plane. That year, military historians analyzed the new evidence and pursued the case, with a team traveling to Bernières-sur-Seine to interview the witness.
In March 2019, unknown remains of soldiers believed to be associated with the crew of the Danellen, including 1st Lt. Brown, were exhumed from Normandy American Cemetery.
Currently, Brown’s name, along with others still missing, is memorialized on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site.
“A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for,” officials said.
