Sgt. Vernon "Verne" L. Hamilton

Army Serial Number 13187769

642nd Bomber Squadron, 409th Bomb Group

This young man's life was well documented by his local newspaper, The Daily Republican, published in Monongahela, PA, a town where his family lived for many years.

Vernon's maternal grandfather, Lance Shaw, was born in England, and was one of seven children. His family moved to the United States in 1884. He began working in mines at age 9 and retired at 72, obviously displaying a strong work ethic to his family and the community. Vernon's middle name was Lance, honoring his grandfather.

James and Dorothy Shaw Hamilton were parents to James D. (Jim), Vernon, and Donna Mae. Brother Jim was oldest and served during World War II in the US Army Signal Corps at a secret B-29 base in India. Donna Mae was the youngest child, and she was at home while her brothers were in the military.

The Hamilton family was affiliated with the First Presbyterian Church in Monongahela, as well as the Christian Endeavor Black Diamond Mission. This Christian mission organization, established in 1881, has a purpose to instill values in youth. In May 1935, Vernon gave a program at the Mission on "What Jesus Said About Courage." Brother Jim and Vernon promised a surprise to all those who came.

On the night of March 26, 1936, while Dorothy and sons, Jim and Vernon, were at the Black Diamond Mission and her husband, James Hamilton, was away, their home on Nelson and Hutchinson Streets caught fire. Mr. Hamilton came home not knowing if his family was inside, so rushed in to save them and was burned in the process. There was a property loss of $2,000 from this incident, which was a great deal of money during the Depression, and not all was covered by insurance. However, the family's important papers were spared because of their location in the house. James Hamilton's injuries were treated, and the Red Cross gave assistance to the family. The Hamiltons temporarily moved in with Dorothy's mother in Gallatin, PA, then they later returned and moved to Main Street in Monongahela. This would not be Vernon's last association with fire.

The town Halloween celebration was called the Mummers Procession, a downtown parade with those participating wearing costumes. It was celebrated on October 30, 1936, one day early, so that it would not cause traffic problems on the 31st, which was Saturday, a big shopping day in a small town. Vernon won a prize, dressed as a beggar.

Vernon attended Monongahela High School but left school before his graduation date in 1943. Before enlisting, he worked at Leggitt Spring & Axle plant on the assembly and shipping lines. This company in East Monongahela also employed his father for many years.

He enlistment in the military and was soon in training in Greensboro, NC, with the address of T. G. Wing 302, Bar. 628, Troup 1182, B. T. C. No. 110 . Further training included Keesler Field in Mississippi, where he completed at 17 week B-24 Bomber Mechanic's School. He transferred in June 1944, to Ft. Myers, FL, where his address was 2117 B. U. Sec. QB. A.A.F. When he left training at Morris Field in Charlotte, NC, he had completed the A. M. and Gunnery School and R. T. U. F. He was a Flight Engineer and Gunner for an A-20. While he was in training, his Monongahela girlfriend moved to Florida, and he heard she got engaged.

He wrote his cousin from the Florence Army Air Field in Florence, SC. While there, he was training and flying in a new aircraft, the A-26, with a pilot from Iowa. This aviation training served him in his transition to war in the European Theater. This was the last letter she received from Verne, as she called him.

He was in Europe soon after his training and received his promotion to sergeant while he was overseas. While flying a bombing mission over Delmer, Germany, his plane and its personnel, Sgt. John Kalausich of Charleston, WV, and pilot, 2nd Lt. Lynn Hadfield of Utah, went down. The plane was last seen about 11:03 a.m. near Velen, Germany. Witnesses saw it roll and spin out of control with no parachutes in sight.

His family was notified by telegram that he was MIA soon after this, and the military continued to search for him.

His mother's favorite song was You Are My Sunshine, and he recorded it on vinyl and sent her the record. She wrote many letters to the military and others to get help to find him. Dorothy never gave up hope that he would be found.

He was officially declared dead in 1946. His family had suffered another loss earlier that year. His father died suddenly in an accident at home in February.

In 1948, his high school included his name on a bronze plaque placed in the school for alumni who participated in the war.

After crashing into a German farm field on March 21, 1945, the plane and the 3 soldiers were lost for almost three quarters of a century. Attempts to find them were made immediately after the war, but they were all declared "unrecoverable" by the military in 1951.

In 2016, German researcher Adolph Hagedorn was playing cards and heard Heinrich Vestrick, who as a young farm boy, say he actually witnessed a burning plane losing altitude in Hulsten-Reken, Germany. He was able to identify the location on a neighbor's land that would soon be developed for a barn. A deadline of December 16th was given to bring archaeologists and other team members to evaluate, dig and then relinquish the site. The United States military could not meet the tight deadline, so History Flight was called in to assist.

Items from the crash site were returned to the United States for analysis. His 1943 gold high school class ring, with his initials in it, was one of the items found at the excavation site. DNA from his brother's children was used to further identify his physical remains of bones and teeth.

His was buried in a Monongahela cemetery on April 14, 2019. On the way to his final resting place, the town honored him with signs and flags in a motor procession to celebrate their hometown hero's return. He was given a military ceremony at his buried, which was by his mother's grave.

Homecoming: Sgt. Vernon Hamilton's Long Journey, a PBS show on his life, death and the recovery of his remains, can be viewed at this link. https://www.pbs.org/video/homecoming-sgt-hamiltons-long-journey-lyj3zt/

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The Daily Republican, Monongahela, PA

October 15, 1934, p. 6

May 21, 1935, p. 3

October 31, 1936, p. 1, 6

December 31, 1936, p. 1

September 10, 1943, p. 3

October 20, 1943, p. 6

December 20, 1943, p. 1, 3

February 15, 1944, p. 6

June 27, 1944, p. 6

September 19, 1944, p. 6

December 1, 1944, p. 4

February 11, 1946, p. 6

March 26, 1946, p. 1, 5

January 29, 1948, p. 1

July 1, 1949, p. 1

Sgt. Vernon "Verne" Lance Hamilton