CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The remains of a North Carolina World War II lieutenant killed in action have been identified 80 years after he died in a plane crash.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced on Tuesday that Roanoke Rapids, NC native Lt. John Harris was accounted for in June.
Harris was assigned to the 732nd Bombardment Squadron, 453rd Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force in 1944.
On April 8, 1944, Harris was the bombardier on a B-24H plane during a bombing mission when it was shot down by enemy aircraft while flying over Brunswick, Germany.
None of the 10 crewmembers, including Harris, were located after the crash and were unaccounted for after the war.
The American Graves Registration Command began searching for fallen American servicemen across Europe starting in 1946 but was unable to find the crash or burial site associated with Harris's crew.
Possible remains were finally found in 2015 near Wistedt, Germany. DPAA investigators found all possible evidence from the crash by 2023.
Harris was identified from the remains using anthropological and dental records, according to the DPAA. His name is on the Wall of Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in the Netherlands along with other missing personnel from WWII. His name will now feature a rosette after his identification.
Harris will be buried in Columbia, S.C. on Nov. 19.