This week, Savannah will honor the return of 2Lt. Milton Leonard Hymes, Jr., a native who died in World War II during a bombing mission. Lt. Hymes will be laid to rest with full military honors on Friday, July 18 at 10 a.m., beside his parents in Bonaventure Cemetery’s Section P. The graveside service will be managed by Gamble Funeral Service and officiated by Rabbi Robert Haas from Congregation Mickve Israel.
Lt. Hymes served as a navigator with the U.S. Army Air Forces’ 565th Bombardment Squadron, part of the Mighty 8th Air Force’s European Theater operations. On June 20, 1944, his B-24J “Liberator” bomber collided mid-air with another aircraft and crashed into the Baltic Sea near Denmark.
His remains were discovered between 2022 and 2024 through underwater archaeological efforts. Identification was confirmed using dental records and DNA analysis by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.
Officially accounted for on November 21, 2024, Lt. Hymes is listed on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery in England after being declared non-recoverable in May 1950 by the U.S. War Department. A rosette will now mark his name to signify he has been found.
The public and media are invited to attend the funeral service upon approval from the Hymes family. Attendees can join the procession led by Patriot Guard Riders entering Bonaventure Cemetery around 9:30 a.m., though space near the gravesite is limited for non-family guests who must remain quiet during proceedings.
