DNA analysis helps identify the remains of a Newton World War II veteran
local news
US Army Air Force First Lieutenant Alfred Pezzella was shot down in a bombing raid near Romania.
US Army Air Force First Lieutenant Alfred Pezzella of Newton Defense Prisoner/MIA Accounting Agency
NEWTON, Mass. (AP) – The remains of a World War II veteran who was killed when his bomber was shot down while operating in oil fields near Romania have been identified.
On August 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator bomber on which 27-year-old US Army Air Force First Lieutenant Alfred Pezzella of Newton, Massachusetts was serving as bombardier, was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed during the largest bombing mission against Oil fields and refineries north of Bucharest.
Pezzella’s remains were not identified after the war. Remains that could not be identified were buried in the Heroes’ Section of the Bolovan Civil and Military Cemetery, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania.
After the war, the American remains of Bolovan Cemetery were excavated for identification. More than 80 could not be identified and their remains were buried in Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.
In 2017, the unidentified remains of those who participated in the bombing mission were sent for further examination and identification.
To identify Pezzella’s remains, scientists at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency used anthropological analysis. In addition, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Pezzella is buried in Bourne, Massachusetts.
