The Brief
- Family and strangers lined Sarasota National Cemetery to welcome home U.S. Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Charles Palmer Jr. after more than 80 years.
- The World War II hero was killed in action over Germany in 1944, and his family finally received closure after DNA testing and a recovery from the crash site in Kassel, Germany.
- Military officials posthumously awarded the fallen gunner a number of honors and awards, including the Purple Heart and the Air Medal during his final homecoming.
SARASOTA, Fla. – A World War II hero is finally resting on American soil after more than 80 years.
An honor guard of motorcycles, some flying the American flag, lined Sarasota National Cemetery to welcome home U.S. Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Charles Palmer Jr. and to lay him to rest.
Florida military homecoming
What we know:
Palmer served as the top turret gunner aboard a B-24 Liberator with a nine-man crew. In 1944, he was killed in action during a raid in Kassel, Germany, which resulted in the largest single group loss for the U.S. Army Air Forces during the war.…