From the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force
After more than eight decades of unanswered questions, the family of Second Lieutenant Milton L. Hymes, Jr. will lay his remains to rest with full military honors in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia at Bonaventure Cemetery on Friday, July 18th. A lost hero of WWII, Lt. Hymes’ return marks a powerful moment of closure and remembrance for generations of loved ones.
A native of Savannah and member of Congregation Mickve Israel, Lt. Hymes was just 22 years old when he was reported missing during a bombing mission to Germany on June 20, 1944. He served as a navigator on a B-24J Liberator in the 389th Bombardment Group, 565th Bombardment Squadron, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division of the Eighth Air Force. During the bombing mission, his aircraft collided with another B-24 and went missing. He was presumed dead, and his name was etched onto the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery in England, alongside many others still unaccounted for from WWII.
In 2019, Danish divers discovered the wreckage of Lt. Hymes’ B-24 in the Baltic Sea, just two miles off the southern coast of Denmark. Between 2022 and 2024, several dives to the crash site led to the recovery of his remains. After years of dedicated work by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), Lt. Hymes was positively identified through DNA and forensic analysis.
“This homecoming is very emotional for us,” said a family spokesperson. “We were determined to bring our Uncle Milton home to Savannah, and provide final closure to our family, honor his sacrifice to our country, and lay him to rest next to his mother, our grandmother. Though our mothers and grandmother did not live to see this day, their devotion lives on in us. This homecoming is not just for Uncle Milton — it’s for them, too. We are deeply grateful to the U.S. Army, the DPAA, and everyone who helped make this possible.”
In addition to the U.S. Army’s extraordinary attention to ensuring a respectful tribute to Lt. Hymes, the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, Georgia, played an essential role in supporting the family. Their assistance included providing historical information and a place to reflect on Lt. Hymes’ service as an Army Air Force Navigator. To help others remember Lt. Hymes’ sacrifice, the family has donated his service medals, photographs, and items such as the telegram notifying the family of his missing status to the Mighty Eighth Museum. These will be featured in a future exhibit titled “Service Above Self,” which will commemorate the lives and legacies of Eighth Air Force personnel killed during WWII.
