Remains of missing WWII veteran returns home to Texas

WWII MIA veteran buried in San Marcos

A burial ceremony was held in San Marcos for a World War II pilot who was killed in action. He has been missing for more than 80 years. 

SAN MARCOS, Texas - A burial ceremony was held in San Marcos for a World War II pilot who was killed in action. 

He has been missing for more than 80 years. 

The backstory:

A military honor guard provided the final steps in what was a long-awaited homecoming. 

It was a bitter-sweet moment for the family of 2nd Lt. Bill Joe May. They gathered together on Friday at the Memory Lawn Park Cemetery in San Marcos. 

"Lord, I thank you to all those who have given so much that he was found," said Randy Creel, a great nephew.

The flag draped over the casket was folded, and then presented to Penny Mitchell, May's niece. 

"It was just amazing that, after 82 years that they found some remains of him," said Mitchell.

Bill Joe May was the co-pilot of B-17 Flying Fortress. It was shot down over Germany on Feb. 25, 1944. Eight crew members were able to parachute safely out, but May and another crew member were killed by anti-aircraft fire.

At the crash site, three boots were found by a farmer and given to a local priest for burial. Mitchell said that's how officials eventually confirmed her uncle's identity. 

"They talked to a priest over there, and he told them about this box, so they excavated and one of the feet was my uncle," said Mitchell.

The identification process for May started in 2013 with a crash site investigation. Forensic lab work got underway in 2023. Major Bryan Delosi notified the family about the identification. 

"We want to make sure that we go about the process of doing our work and bringing every service member home. It doesn't matter what the remains are, we want to do our due diligence, DNA testing, there is a lot of work that's involved to make sure we get it right, and we bring those service members home," said Delosi.

May is Delosi's first case since being assigned to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

"I think hope is a powerful message for all of us, and it is an important thing to hold on to," said Delosi.

Among those at the service was Danny Jones. He drove up from Brownsville to attend. Jones has been researching May's military service. 

The Army Aviator once lived in North Central Texas after graduating from high school in South Texas. 

"He joined the National Guard, out there at Camp Bowie, and that's when I found his enlistment papers and realized I had another WWII KIA to add to my website," said Jones.

For Jones, this trip to San Marcos was also the end of a personal journey. 

"I just hope that people will see all those veterans I have on there, sacrificed in WWII and other wars, and realize their freedom is not free," Jones said.

Bill Joe May was laid in a burial plot next to his parents. They purchased it before they passed in the hope that he would eventually return to them.

Penny Mitchell had this to say to families like hers still waiting for a call. 

"Don’t give up, don't give up.."

Dig deeper:

The identification of 2nd Lt. May was part of a record-setting year for the Military Recovery Agency. More than 200 cases were closed. 

But there is still a lot of work to do. It's estimated that more than 81,000 service members still remain unaccounted for from conflicts dating back to World War II.