Racine WWII Airman’s Remains Return Home After 80 Years

RACINE, Wis. (WRJN) — The remains of a World War II airman from Racine will finally return home after 80 years.

U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Ralph H. Bode, 20, was a tail gunner on a B-24H Liberator shot down over Kassel, Germany, on Sept. 27, 1944.  It wasn’t until Dec. 26, 2023, that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency officially noted his discovery.

His remains will be buried on Sept. 27, 2024, in Racine, exactly 80 years after his plane was lost. A procession will depart from Sturino Funeral Home at 9:25 a.m., with the community invited to gather along Osborne Boulevard, between Spring Street and the entry to Graceland Cemetery by 9:15 a.m.

A military aircraft flyover is scheduled for 10:03 a.m. over Graceland Cemetery, marking the moment Bode’s plane was shot down.

Scientists used anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA to identify Bode’s remains. His name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Luxembourg American Cemetery, where a rosette will be placed to indicate he has been accounted for.

The public is encouraged to attend the ceremony to honor Bode’s sacrifice and remember those who remain missing in action.