SALISBURY, N.C. — Charlotte native 2nd Lt. Fred Brewer Jr. was killed in action on Oct. 29, 1944 while serving as a U.S. Army Air Forces commissioned officer. Decades later, his remains are being reinterred in Salisbury.
The Tuskegee Airman was among 57 fighter pilots assigned to escort bombers to their targets in Regensburg, Germany, from Ramitelli Air Base in Italy on Oct. 19, 1944. According to another pilot's testimony, Brewer attempted a steep climb to get above cloud cover. This maneuver stalled the engine of his P-51C Mustang, leading to a crash landing. The pilot observed that Brewer's cockpit canopy was jettisoned but he wasn't seen ejecting and Brewer was declared missing in action. He was 23.
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In 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency exhumed remains that had been recovered from an Italian crash site around 2011 and buried in the Florence American Cemetery. Then on Aug. 10, 2023, Brewer's remains were identified. His name has been recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at that cemetery, and a rosette will be placed next to it to signify he was accounted for.
Now back home, Brewer is being laid to rest at the Salisbury National Cemetery with full military honors. A memorial service for Brewer was held at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Rep. Alma Adams presented the family with the U.S. flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol on the day his remains were returned home, Nov. 30.
“Thanks to the unyielding advocacy of his cousins Robena Brewer Harrison and Brenda L. Brewer, and the determined work of the POW/MIA Accounting Agency, a Tuskegee Airman and fallen hero will be laid to rest with the respect and honor he deserves,” Rep. Alma Adams said.