Remains of World War II airman from Massachusetts who went missing in 1945 positively identified
By Victoria D
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SOUTHBRIDGE, Massachusetts (WBZ) — The remains of a World War II airman from Massachusetts have been positively identified, nearly 80 years after he went missing in action.
Plane crashed in 1945 U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Edward Kovaleski was from Southbridge and was working as an engineer and gunner on board a heavy bomber plane called the Seldom Available. He was 25 years old when the plane crashed over Hüttenberg, Austria in April 1945 as it was flying to a mission in northern Italy. Witnesses said there was a mechanical failure and while eight crew members were able to parachute to safety, Kovaleski was never accounted for and was declared missing in action. It was believed he was still in the plane when it crashed.
Human remains found in 2021 In 2017, a crash site was discovered in Austria and human remains were found when the site and a suspected nearby burial location were excavated in 2021. Scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used DNA to identify Kovaleski’s remains. Scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency also used anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence to identify Kovaleski.
Kovaleski’s name is on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery in Firenze, Italy with others who are missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to show that he’s since been accounted for.
Kovaleski will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia at a later date.
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