ASHBY, Mass. (WHDH) — The remains of a U.S. serviceman who was killed during World War II are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors in Ashby.
Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Roy F. Davis, 26, of Peterborough, New Hampshire, accounted for on June 7, 2017, will be buried Saturday in Ashby.
Davis was a member of the 13th Bombardment Squadron, 3rd Bombardment Group, as one of two crewmembers aboard an A-20G Havoc bomber that failed to return to base in northeastern New Guinea after attacking enemy targets on the island.
The War Department declared Davis, as well the other crewmember, 2nd Lt. Vernal J. Bird, deceased on June 30, 1949; their remains were listed as non-recoverable.
In September 2001, a team from the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory located a crash site in a remote area of Papua New Guinea. A native Papuan turned over pieces of wreckage he claimed to have recovered from the crash site. The team also recovered possible remains. On July 15, 2013, the remains were identified as Bird’s.
In February and March 2016, a DPAA Recovery Team excavated the crash site, and recovered additional remains and material evidence. The remains were subsequently sent to the DPAA laboratory.
To identify Davis’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial analysis, which matched his family, as well as dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his records, and circumstantial evidence.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)