A Final Goodbye
Local soldier who went MIA during WWII remembered at service
"He was the big brother you would want to have."
Mary Ann Livengood was just a young girl when her family got the news her brother, Staff Sergeant Johnnie Skurka was lost.
"My brother was missing in action in 1946 all these years. We haven't done anything. He never came home and they never found his body so he was just missing in action", says Livengood.
Skurka was only 21-years-old when he joined the Army. He was a Tail Gunner aboard a B-24 aircraft over the South China Sea when it was reportedly shot down back on February 11, 1945.There was only one survivor. The rest of the crew, including Skurka was never found.
Now more than six decades later, family members are finally finding a sense of closure. During a service, which included a 21 gun salute, a plaque honoring the fallen hero was placed next to his parents grave site.
"Johnny died in 1945 this is the first memorial to my knowledge that has been shown for his life, says family friend Jimmy Gottlich.
Gordon Livengood, Mary Ann's husband helped design the marker. "It's just something I needed to get done."
The two were joined by family and friends who never had the privilege of meeting Skurka, but all wanted to show their support.
"I just had to come and show my support cause. I didn't know him but we will always remember him for everything he did, said relative Mary Ann Mekush Brown.
While it might have been a different time, and a different war, the fallen soldier will live on in the hearts of many.
Bill Churchwell, 3News.