Lost and now found: Tuskegee Airman laid to rest after being missing for decades
Published 12:10 am Friday, December 8, 2023
Fred L. Brewer Jr.'s casket is lifted from a horse-drawn carriage during his long awaited funeral service on Dec. 6. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Brewer's dog tag hangs from his casket. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Andrew Pendleton speaks to a hushed crowd at Brewer's funeral service. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Brewer was given a three-volley salute at his funeral service. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Many people and media outlets appeared at Brewer's funeral service. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Military veterans came to Salisbury to show their admiration for a man they never met. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Brewer's surviving family was given the American flag that was placed on his casket. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
SALISBURY — In Oct. 1944, Second Lieutenant and Tuskegee Airman Fred L. Brewer Jr. flew a single-seat P-51C Mustang on a mission to escort bombers from Italy to Regensburg, Germany. Heavy cloud cover forced a majority of the 57 fighter planes to fly back to Italy, however, Brewer never returned after his plane was reported to have stalled out. He was only 23.
For almost 80 years, Brewer’s remains had been buried overseas in Italy, but no one was capable of identifying who he was due to a lack of scientific knowledge of DNA at the time.
On Dec. 6, after years of searching, Brewer was finally given the honor he deserves for his ultimate sacrifice. Brewer, a Charlotte native, was laid to rest at the Salisbury National Cemetery after being away from home for far too long.
During and after World War II, bodies of American soldiers were identified and recovered by the American Graves Registration Service. Jana Churchwell Scott, a military researcher and genealogist, volunteers for a group called the MIA Recovery Network and she and a few others spearheaded the fight to find Brewer.
“We have several volunteers, a small team of researchers and we have an interest in the thousands of unknown burials that are located in our overseas military cemeteries that are managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission,” Scott said.
Scott says someone in their group mentioned Brewer’s case and that got them started on this lengthy, but ultimately fulfilling odyssey. They utilized a database and a map of where unknown soldiers might have gone missing to assist in their efforts. Records showed Brewer was sent to a local cemetery in Italy before going to the Florence American Cemetery, but he still couldn’t be fully identified.
Scott began her search in 2016 by studying Brewer’s mother’s lineage, but after that proved too difficult, she looked at his father’s side of the family. She eventually discovered Brewer’s distant relatives in the Charlotte area and received permission for their DNA to be sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to compare with the remains they had. It proved to be a match. Brewer was now ready to be sent back to the country he gave his life protecting.
“It’s been an amazing journey and it’s taken a long time, but here we are,” Scott said. “It’s amazing, it’s inspiring, it’s heartfelt, it’s heartbreaking, it’s bittersweet, but this is what we were going for. This was the end goal. It was accomplished and he has his name on his grave now.”
Many people who never knew Brewer came to his service that included his relatives, Clement and Brenda Brewer. Frank Bellini, chapter commander for the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association Chapter 15-13 out of Wilmington, rode for four hours to Salisbury with other members just to see Brewer be laid to rest.
“You have to pay your respects to people like that. If it wasn’t for them, we’re not here,” Bellini said.
Another person who was there was Andrew Pendleton, a 101-year-old World War II veteran who flew over 250 missions. When Pendleton realized Brewer was coming to the United States, he looked at his mission log and came to the conclusion that Brewer died protecting his group on their way to Germany.
“Before his group was there, our casualty rates were about 10 percent. After they started, it dropped to 5 percent. People are alive because of his service and his service to his fellow Tuskegee Airmen,” Pendleton said.
Pendleton can at long last pay tribute to a man that may have helped saved his life.
“I’m glad he is home and I feel for all of those who are not home. It’s a wonderful thing that they identified him after nearly 80 years. I guess we’re probably the only country that does such extensive relocation of the bodies to get them back to their loved ones. It’s great,” Pendleton said.
