Sgt. Kenneth J. McKeeman
The remains of U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. Kenneth J. McKeeman, a Soldier killed during World War II, will be interred June 7 at Connecticut Veteran’s Cemetery, Middletown, Connecticut. Arthur Albini Funeral Home will perform graveside services preceding the interment.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, McKeeman was a bombardier assigned to the 724th Bombardment Squadron, 451st Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force in the Mediterranean and European Theater. He was killed in action March 11, 1944, at age 23, after the B-24D “Liberator,” on which he was serving, was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire over Toulon, France.
McKeeman was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Sept. 18, 2023, after his remains were exhumed from Rhône American Cemetery in Draguignan, France in June 2019 for laboratory analysis and identification.
The Past Conflict Repatriations Branch, under the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky, plays a key role in the process of locating Family members of missing Soldiers from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
The process begins with locating the Family member most closely related to the missing Soldier, known as the primary next of kin, followed by a request for Family reference samples or DNA, which are used as a main source in identifying remains.
Once a Soldier has been identified by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, the PCRB notifies and briefs the Family about the results of historical, forensic and DNA reports, benefits and the mortuary process including burial with full military honors.
For additional information about Tech. Sgt. McKeeman, go to: https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Press-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/3742523/airman-accounted-for-from-wwii-mckeeman-k/
Media interested in covering and/or obtaining more information about the funeral and interment should contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490 and/or Arthur Albini Funeral Home, 203-574-1313.
