Bristol burial service set for WW II serviceman killed in 1945

FORT KNOX, KY, UNITED STATES

04.30.2019

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army Human Resources Command

A burial service is set for a U.S. serviceman killed in action while flying a combat mission during World War II.

Army Air Forces 1st Lt. John D. Crouchley, Jr., 26, a native of Providence, Rhode Island, will be buried with full military honors on Friday at North Burial Ground Cemetery, in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Crouchley was a pilot with the 828th Bombardment Squadron, 485th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force when, on June 28, 1944, his B-24H aircraft was shot down and crashed in Romania. During the flight, Crouchley continued to pilot his damaged aircraft while nine other crewmembers bailed out. Because the crash occurred in enemy territory, American personnel were not able to conduct an immediate search, and Bulgaria provided no evidence that Crouchley’s remains were recovered or buried. He was declared deceased as of June 29, 1945.

In 2017, a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) recovery team excavated the crash site and recovered osseous remains and material evidence. Crouchley was positively identified and accounted for on August 31, 2018.

To positively identify Crouchley’s remains, scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

For more information about this service, contact Smith Mason Funeral Home, Riverside, Rhode Island, 401-433-2300.

For more information about U.S. Army Human Resources Command, visit: www.hrc.army.mil

• Date Taken: 04.30.2019
• Date Posted: 04.30.2019 15:25
• Story ID: 320106
• Location: FORT KNOX, KY, US
• Hometown: BRISTOL, RI, US
• Hometown: RIVERSIDE, RI, US