SALT LAKE CITY –
The remains of Army Air Forces Tech Sgt. Max. W. Lower, 23, of Lewiston, Utah, killed during World War II and accounted for 76 years later, will arrive in Utah with a Dignified Transfer scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019, at 8:20 p.m. at the American Airlines freight terminal. He will be received by his sister.
Lower is scheduled to be buried with full military honors and a military aircraft flyover on Saturday, November 23, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. at the Lewiston City Cemetery. Full military honors includes a firing party for a gun salute, a bugler, and a three-man fold team to present the flag to Lower’s sister.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified Lower’s remains on Oct. 9, 2019.
In the summer of 1943, Lower was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 aircraft on which Lower was the radio operator crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. His remains were first buried with other Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania, before being reinterred into the American Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium after the war.
In 2017, DPAA and scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System identified Lower’s remains using anthropological and DNA analysis.
The Utah National Guard is grateful for their combined efforts in bringing Lower home.
Media notes: To contact Lower’s family, please work through the Army Casualty Office at 800-892-2490. The dignified transfer will be conducted at the American Airlines cargo area located at 392 North 3700 West, Salt Lake City, Utah. Access to the airport must be coordinated with the Director of Public Relations of the Salt Lake International Airport, Nancy Volmer, nancy.volmer@slcgov.com or 801-575-2768.
Please direct all other military-related questions via text or email to Maj. D.J. Gibb, 801-716-9063, ng.ut.utarng.list.pao@mail.mil.
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