Calverton Funeral for WWII Soldier ID’d 76 Years After His Death in War

A U.S. Army soldier whose remains were identified 76 years after he was killed in Germany during World War II was laid to rest on Tuesday, October 10 at Calverton National Cemetery.

Sergeant Bernard J. Sweeney, Jr., who was 22 at the time of his death and served in Company I, 330th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division, was reported missing as of December 16, 1944, after fighting near Strass, Germany.

His remains were found after the war in a minefield associated with the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. He was initially buried in Belgium until the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed the remains and confirmed his identity.

“This funeral will be of the highest honors, a service of gratitude, prestige and prayers of thanks to a soldier who gave his life so that others may live,” said Kenneth T. Rothwell, the owner of The Alexander-Rothwell Funeral Home in Wading River, where Sweeney’s funeral was held before he was interred at Calverton.

Sweeney’s relatives have died, leaving no next of kin, so the funeral home donated a horse-drawn caisson and the Warrior Ranch Foundation provided its quarter horse, Cody, to serve as the riderless horse in tribute.

Full military honors included a police and military flyover, fire departments creating a cannon of heroes by draping flags across the procession route, and local police and other spectators lining the streets to salute him.