A Massachusetts lieutenant killed in action during World War II was buried Tuesday, months after his remains were identified through DNA analysis. August 1, 1943, a B-24 Liberator bomber flown by Lieutenant Alfred of the U.S. Army Air Force. Mr. Pezzella, 27, of Newton, Massachusetts, was on one of the largest bombing missions against oil fields and refineries north of Bucharest when his bomber crashed under enemy anti-aircraft fire. In 2017, unidentified bodies of those who took part in the bombing were discovered. The mission was sent for further testing and identification. His parents and four older sisters in Newton had been writing letters to the government for years, but it was only last year that the military requested DNA from the family and ran the match several months later. The remains were identified by scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Bureau using anthropological analysis. In addition, scientists at the Armed Forces Medical Examination System used mitochondrial DNA analysis. The highway was closed to traffic on the day of the funeral, with firefighters watching over the overpass as a funeral procession carried Pezzella to his final resting place. The casket was accompanied by several family members, including Pezzella’s 3-year-old niece, who was the last person to see her. “He threw me up in the air and we just laughed and laughed,” said Anne Ferry, Pezzella’s niece. “It’s hard to believe that they actually found him and brought him and that he’s here today. And we’re going to bury him. He’s at home. He just came home. ” Pezzella was buried with full military honors at the National Cemetery in Bourne. . His family received a folded flag and the closure they had been waiting for for generations. His name, along with others still missing from World War II, is recorded on the missing persons inscription at the Florence American Cemetery in Impruneta, Italy. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate that he has been accounted for.
A Massachusetts lieutenant killed during World War II was buried Tuesday, months after his body was identified through DNA analysis.
On August 1, 1943, a B-24 Liberator bomber operated by 27-year-old U.S. Army Air Force First Lieutenant Alfred Pezzera of Newton, Massachusetts, was hit by enemy antiaircraft fire during one of its largest bombing raids. I was hit and crashed. Mission to oil fields and refineries north of Bucharest.
In 2017, unidentified bodies of those who took part in the bombing mission were sent for further testing and identification.
His parents and four older sisters in Newton had been writing letters to the government for years, but it was only last year that the military requested DNA from the family and ran the match several months later.
Pezzella’s remains were identified by scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Bureau using anthropological analysis. In addition, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examination System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
On the day of the funeral, the highway was closed to traffic and firefighters watched over the overpass as a funeral procession carried Pezzella to his final resting place.
His casket was accompanied by several family members, including his 3-year-old niece who last saw him.
“He threw me in the air and we just laughed,” said Pezzella’s niece, Anne Ferry. “I can’t believe they actually found him and brought him here and we’re here today. And we’re going to bury him. He’s home. He just came home.”
Pezzella was buried with full military honors in the National Cemetery in Bourne. His family received a folded flag and the closure they had been waiting for for generations.
His name is recorded on the Missing Persons Monument at the Florence American Cemetery in Impruneta, Italy, along with others still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate that he has been accounted for.
