Funeral held for Tuskegee Airman from Charlotte nearly 80 years after disappearing

CHARLOTTE — Nearly 80 years after he went missing in action, a funeral was held for a Charlotte Tuskegee Airman Wednesday morning.

2nd Lt. Fred L. Brewer was only 23 years old when he disappeared while escorting a bomber on a raid over Germany.

Scientists were finally able to identify his remains thanks to forensic analysis.

Family members, friends, and veterans gathered at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church to honor Brewer.

Brewer vanished in 1944 while flying one of the 57 fighter planes on a mission to Germany. While 47 of the planes returned to base, Brewer’s did not.

A year later, he was declared dead. His remains were recovered after the war, but technology at the time was unable to identify them.

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Second Lieutenant Fred L. Brewer, Source: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Clement Brewer is the second cousin of the airman, which was a link that would help solve a military mystery.

“It’s amazing. It’s touching,” he said.

The airman’s unidentified remains were buried in Italy.

“But this time, this burial is different,” said second cousin, Brenda Brewer. “It has everything with it.”

Genealogists needed a sample of DNA from a male so about two years ago, they mailed a package to Clement Brewer.

“And more or less, it was a FedEx package of a DNA kit and a story about why we were sent a DNA kit on the kitchen counter, and it sat there for a couple of months,” he said.

That was until former WSOC Brittney Johnson saw it and encouraged her father to send it in.

In August, the military used that DNA to identify the remains as Fred Brewer Jr.

“There’s closure, and I feel like I’ve finished a task that I needed to finish,” said Brenda Brewer.

“Very proud, very proud. You’re proud to be connected to heroism in the United States,” Clement Brewer said.

Channel 9′s Almiya White spoke with veterans who attended the service about the historic discovery.

“It gave me cold chills when I got the email about it. And then, when we found out that we were going to be a part of this, it was unbelievable,” U.S. Army veteran Ethel Burch said.

Brewer was buried at the Salisbury National Cemetery.

VIDEO: Tuskegee Airman from Charlotte identified as unknown soldier 79 years after vanishing in WWII

Tuskegee Airman from Charlotte identified as unknown soldier 79 years after vanishing in WWII

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