Minnesota Pilot Killed In France During WWII Finally Accounted For
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minnesota pilot who was killed on June 5, 1944 while flying on a mission near the city of Saint-Lô, France has finally been accounted for.
William J. McGowan, of Benson, was 23 years old when he died during World War II.
McGowan was a member of the 391st Fighter Squadron, 366th Fighter Group, 9th U.S. Air Force.
In 1947, his remains had been declared non-recoverable after an AGRC team removed wreckage from the impact crater.
In 2018, though, a team from St. Mary's University Forensic Aviation Archaeological Field School, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, found osseous material. Labaratory tests confirmed his identity.
McGowan's remains will now be buried June 26, 2020, at the Normandy American Cemetery in France.
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