Lost in 1943, WWII Soldier Returns to Exeter for Burial
In the summer of 1943, Aguirre was assigned to the 67th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy), in Libya. On Aug. 16, he was the assistant radio operator aboard a B-24D Liberator bomber on a mission to San Nicola, Italy, near the city of Foggia.
That morning, Aguirre’s bomber was one of 25 making an attack on the airfield there. After a successful run, the bombers were targeted by intense, accurate anti-aircraft fire. Aguirre’s bomber was one of nine to go down.
With the area around San Nicola under enemy control, it was impossible for Allied forces to search for possible survivors. With no news of Aguirre’s survival and no record of him being captured, the War Department issued a presumptive finding of death on Aug. 17, 1944.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency accounted for Aguirre on May 29, 2026.
For more information on DPAA’s efforts to locate and identify Aguirre, please visit: https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/ID-Announcements/Article/4589370/airman-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-aguirre-a/
U.S. Army Human Resources Command’s Past Conflict Repatriations Branch plays a vital role in the process of identifying, locating and contacting subsequent generation family members of Soldiers missing or killed in action during WWII and the Korean War to positively identify previously undiscovered or unknown remains.
Media interested in covering and/or obtaining more information about the funeral and interment should contact Smith Family Chapel, 559-592-9190.
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