Missing WWII airman identified for Sarasota National Cemetery burial

SARASOTA, Fla. - A missing World War II soldier will finally return to Southwest Florida for a proper burial more than 80 years after his aircraft was shot down over Germany.

WWII soldier burial

What we know:

U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. Charles Palmer will be laid to rest at Sarasota National Cemetery on June 8.

Palmer served as the top turret gunner aboard a B-24H Liberator with a nine-man crew under the 700th Bombardment Squadron of the 445th Bombardment Group.

On September 27, 1944, Palmer was killed in action during a bombing raid targeting munitions facilities.

His cousin Bonnie Rolquin, now 98, remembers meeting him when they were children. But she has never forgotten him or his service to our country during World War 2.

"He was a 16-year-old boy and full of mischief," Rolquin said, noting that "We knew that he had enlisted. He lied about his age and enlisted at 17."

Kassel Mission tragedy

The backstory:

The mission over Kassel, Germany, turned into the largest single-group loss for the U.S. Army Air Forces during the war, accounting for 25 lost Liberator aircraft.

"They were bombing Kassel, Germany, where there were munitions," Rolquin explained. "They got their bombs dropped and then they were hit by the German aircraft; they lost half of their squadron. Their plane lost direction and went off course and crashed in the ground."

Palmer was one of six crew members who died in the crash, and one of his dog tags was recovered shortly after the war ended. Human remains were first discovered at the site in 1951, but an official excavation decades later discovered a second dog tag belonging to Palmer.

Excavation and identification

What they're saying:

To positively identify the fallen service member, recovery teams utilized DNA matching systems and reached out Sgt. Palmer's surviving family members.

"We were lucky that they followed up on Charles’ crash and they excavated it like an archaeology site, sifting the dirt," Rolquin explained. "They found his dog tag and a few remains because of the DNA they called Pam and myself six years ago and said would we take a swab."

Learning this year that the testing successfully identified Palmer brought immense emotion to his surviving family members in Florida.

"It’s unbelievable. It just sent us all into a turmoil," Rolquin said. "I am grateful that the people went through all this effort to bring a soldier home."

Rolquin's daughter, Pam Watson, witnessed the profound personal impact that the government's recovery operations had on her mother.

"Watching my mom, it was almost like a blessing from heaven that she didn’t even think to ask for, but yet it happened," Watson shared.

Final military honors

What's next:

Sgt. Palmer's remains will be flown to Bonita Springs on June 5.

A public viewing will be held at the Shikany Funeral Home on Saturday, June 6 in Bonita Springs.

The public is invited to attend the upcoming funeral service for Palmer, which will begin at 11:30 a.m. on June 8. A military flyover is scheduled to take place exactly 20 minutes after the start of the service at the cemetery.

Palmer's final interment stone will bear the phrase "Fly With the Angels," a sentiment his family has long associated with his memory.

The Kassel Mission Historical Society worked closely with federal authorities to identify the site and repatriate the remains.

The successful recovery reinforced the country's military promise to the family.

"What I’ve learned from this is we live in the greatest country in the world and the fact that they say they don’t leave a soldier behind, they don’t leave a soldier behind and we experienced that," Watson said.

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