MILLER, SD (KELO-AM) A World War II combat pilot killed over Germany some 70 years ago is finally coming home to Miller, South Dakota.
The remains of Lt. Ben Barnes have finally been found and fully identified. The search was complicated by the fact that his plane crashed in what became communist East Germany after the war.
Miller, a little town in central South Dakota, will be decorated with American flags, when on Saturday, October 15, Barnes will be laid to rest at the GAR cemetary, where he already has a stone.
"It's right there by our main flag in the cemetary....and he has a stone there: Ben Barnes, Missing in Action," says Hand County American Legion Commander Dave Johnson. Johnson will be part of the color guard at the ceremony.
"It's gonna be a great honor to put this man to rest that has never been home yet since 1944." Johnson tells KELO Radio News. He also says that participating in the ceremony will be a 93-year-old World War II vet who still helps with the color guard.
One old vet saluting another missing in action no more.