Navy reclaims remains of World War II serviceman
By Bobby Caina Calvan - bSacramento Bee
STOCKTON -- With full pomp and ceremony, the U.S. Navy reclaimed Wednesday the remains mistakenly given to a San Joaquin Valley family 60 years ago.
For decades, the military had believed the bones contained in a bronze metal casket interred at a French Camp cemetery were those of Wesley Stuart, a 20-year-old Navy man who presumably perished in the South Pacific archipelago of Palau during World War II when his plane was shot down.
"I don't have the feeling of insecurity and wondering that I had; that's all gone, thank God," said Mary Ellen Roberts, who grew up questioning whether the remains were those of her brother.
"If they never find my brother's remains, he'll still remain in our hearts," said Roberts, who was joined by her husband and two sons during the solemn ceremony.
Earlier this year, she confirmed that the remains were not those of her older brother. A DNA test proved it.
The Navy reopened the case, and on Wednesday an honor guard escorted the coffin from the mausoleum into a white hearse. The remains were to be taken to Travis Air Force Base and flown to Honolulu for analysis at the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command.
In all, 78,000 who served in World War II are classified as missing in action. JPAC says 1,500 U.S. service members remain missing -- about 1,000 of them probably lost at sea -- in the Caroline Islands, where Palau is located.
The military said it will attempt to identify the remains. Two other men, including the pilot, were with Stuart when his aircraft was shot down.
ŠThe Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, CA