WWII pilot from Dallas missing for 80 years finally coming home

U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. David Lewis
U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. David Lewis Photo credit U.S. Military / DVIDS

A World War II pilot from Dallas who has been declared missing in action for more than 80 years is finally coming home.

U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. David Lewis was piloting a B-24 Liberator aircraft on Aug. 1, 1943, when it was hit by enemy fire during Operation TIDAL WAVE, near Bucharest, Romania.

Lewis was 20 years old.

His family wondered about him all these years.

"It was a conversation among family when we got together," said Vivian Monzingo, Lewis' cousin and next-of-kin. "We thought we'd never know."

Turns out Lewis had been buried in Romania, unidentified until now.

Lewis was born at Baylor Hospital in Dallas in 1923 but his family is from near Sulpher Springs.

Monzingo, 85, of Dallas, said Lewis will be interred Sunday in a country cemetery near his grandparents mother, and other family members.

"I feel like I'm doing something to honor that memory of his," she said.

LISTEN on the Audacy App

Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"

Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news

Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Featured Image Photo Credit: U.S. Military / DVIDS