Tuskegee Airman Laid to Rest Nearly 80 Years After He Disappeared During a Mission

Second Lieutenant Fred L. Brewer Jr. disappeared while returning to Ramitelli Air Field in Italy in October 1944, per the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

A Tuskegee Airman has been laid to rest in North Carolina, nearly 80 years after he went missing in action.

The remains of Second Lieutenant Fred L. Brewer Jr. were buried during a military service at the Salisbury National Cemetery in Charlotte on Wednesday, according to ABC News and ABC affiliate WSOC-TV.

Fred was one of 57 fighters on a mission “over enemy targets in Regensburg, Germany” when he went missing while returning to Ramitelli Air Field in Italy on Oct. 19, 1944, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

Other pilots on the mission reported seeing Brewer “attempting to climb his aircraft out of the cloud cover” before stalling out and spinning out of control, the DPPA said.

Related: 5 U.S. Troops Killed in Veterans Day Weekend Helicopter Crash After 'In-Flight Emergency'

The airman’s remains were recovered from a civilian cemetery in Italy by U.S. personnel after the war. The remains were exhumed in June 2022 and identified as belonging to Brewer just over a year later, on Aug. 10, 2023.

Fred was just 23 years old when he vanished, according to WSOC-TV. His second cousin, Clement Brewer, whose DNA helped solve the mystery, said he is “very proud” of his late relative.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: At Least 1 Dead After U.S. Military Aircraft Crashes into Sea Near Japan

“You’re proud to be connected to heroism in the United States,” he told the outlet.

Two years ago, Clement gave genealogists a sample of his DNA in hopes of identifying the remains of his late cousin, WSOC-TV reported.

Clement told ABC News that a package had arrived at his parents house that contained Fred’s story. His cousin said he hadn't heard about him until then.

Related: Missing WWII Airman Officially Accounted for Nearly 80 Years After Plane Shot Down

"In my mind, why not? A Tuskegee airman in my family? This is special!" he told Good Morning America.

Now, the family has closure. “But this time, this burial is different,” second cousin Brenda Brewer told ABC News. “It has everything with it.”

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.