WWII veteran returns home to Seaside to be buried after nearly 80 years

SEASIDE, Calif. (KION) - Friends and family members of Wilbur Archie Mitts finally had the chance to bury his body after nearly 80 years.

September 11th 2023 was the day friends and family of world WWII veteran Wilbur Archie Mitts were able to finally put him to rest.

Dozens of people gathered at mission memorial park in seaside to say their official good-byes, including mitts' niece, Diana Ward.

"I was told by many of my mother's family that knew him that Wilbur had just this outgoing, wonderful, a love of people that drew people to him, that he was so even tempered and so joyful that they would get with people that day," said Ward.

On September 10th, 1945, Mitts was a part of a three member air crew that took off from USS enterprise on a pre-invasion strike against Japanese forces.

The plane was last seen spinning violently before crashing into sea near Malakal Island.

Mitts was declared killed in action the following day and awarded the purple heart.

It took almost 80 years but Wilbur was finally laid to rest in Seaside in front of family and friends paying their respects.

"It was amazing in the fact that they do look for all these people who are missing for so many years, 80 years. it's it it's wonderful. and they don't leave anybody behind. and that's what brought my and my heart to be here today," said Jean-Marie Ferrara who lives in Seaside.

Project Recover is a non-profit thats been helping families of veterans receive closure. No matter how long it takes, or how long its been.

"This case itself was 20 years of work. We found the initial part of the plane, a wing and 23, and then 2015 found the rest of the fuselage or the rest of the airplane where the crew was located, and then from there executed recovery missions over the following few years. said Derek Abby the president and CEO of Project Recover.

Project Recover says they have located and documented sites associated with more than 300 missing Americans. of that number, 87 have been fully accounted for and 70 have been declared buried at sea by the United States Navy.

The project also estimates theres as many as 80,000 missing Americans from previous wars and 5 million family members across the nation that have not been able to bury a loved one that served our country.