World War II vet laid to rest in Florida after being killed in action more than 80 years ago

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.

A total of 25 Liberator aircraft were lost during that specific mission. Decades later, DNA testing helped identify Palmer's remains at the crash site, bringing his family long-awaited answers.

Family receives artifacts

What they're saying:

"I remember when we got the news that Charles was killed overseas," his cousin, Bonnie Rolquin, said. "So much was going on then. They had no way to find out what happened to him; he was just gone."

Rolquin, who met Palmer when she was only 10 years old, is now 98 and has never forgotten his sacrifice.

"It’s a closure," Rolquin said. "We never knew what happened to him. To find parts where he crashed and his dog tag, we just couldn’t believe it. It’s a wonderful happening."

Friends, family and strangers gathered at the cemetery to offer a final, proper farewell as a gun salute and the traditional playing of taps echoed through the grounds. During the service, family members received artifacts recovered from the site.

"I think we all had to control the tears when they handed us the gunner bullets from the plane that he was shooting out of that sort of took the cup," Pam Watson, Rolquin's daughter, said. "It was tears of joy, not sadness, to get to know him. Like all of you, get to know him."

Posthumous military honors

Dig deeper:

Following the location of his remains, the military posthumously awarded Palmer the Purple Heart, the Air Medal and the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) Aerial Gunner Badge wings, among other honors.

As the funeral ended, a flyover soared overhead from the 700th Bombardment Squadron out of Dobbins Air Force Base, which is the exact same squadron Palmer belonged to.

"It’s been such a wonderful journey; they made it so special and so honorable for them that I feel like the welcome couldn’t have been more perfect and more at peace for this closure," Rolquin said.

SarasotaVeterans