ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Gilbert H. Myers was just 27 years old when he went missing during World War II. Now, 80 years later, he will finally be brought home to American soil.
Myers' remains were accounted for on Aug. 10, 2023, thanks to several military organizations and modern technological developments. He will be honored at a service in St. Petersburg on Friday, Nov. 10.
Originally from Pittsburgh, Pa., Myers was assigned to the 381st Bombardment Squadron, 310th Bombardment Group, in the summer of 1943. On July 10, he was serving as a co-pilot on a B-25 Mitchell bomber when the plane was shot down over Sicily, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency( DPAA.)
2nd Lt. Gilbert H. Myers
Myers' remains were not recovered, and he was declared missing in action.
A year later, in late 1944, Italian residents found the pilot's body at the crash site — still, they were unable to locate anything linking back to Myers. That was until 2021, when the DPAA and the Cranfield University Recovery and Identification of Conflict Team traveled to Sciacca, Italy.
The group was able to recover additional plane wreckage pieces as well as human remains.
Armed Forces medical examiners used three different types of DNA analysis (mitochondrial, Y-chromosome and autosomal) to ultimately link them to Myers in 2023.
Myers will be buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Petersburg following a service at 10 a.m. on Nov. 10.
A rosette will also be placed next to Myers' name on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery to indicate that he has been accounted for.
