Northeastern Brookhaven honors long-lost WWII hero
After more than seven decades as missing in action, the remains of U.S. Army Sgt. Bernard J. Sweeney Jr. were finally dignified in an honorable military funeral service. The Alexander-Rothwell Funeral Home, in collaboration with various organizations and community members, held the funeral service Tuesday, Oct. 10, for this long-lost hero.
Sweeney entered the military in New York City on Nov. 27, 1942, and served valiantly in Company I, 330th Infantry Regiment, 83d Infantry Division during World War II. He was reported missing as of Dec. 16, 1944, near Strass, Germany, during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. His remains were not recovered or identified following the war, leaving him an unknown soldier for many years.
In April 1950, unidentified remains numbered as X-2752 were interred in Ardennes American Cemetery in Neuville, Belgium. These remains were recovered from a minefield north of Kleinhau, Germany. Thanks to efforts by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the American Battle Monuments Commission, X-2752 was exhumed in April 2019 and designated as CIL 2019-174. Through historical research and laboratory analysis, the DPAA confirmed that these remains belong to Sweeney.
Sweeney, who had no immediate family or next of kin remaining, was laid to rest Tuesday afternoon with full military honors at Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton, the nearest National Cemetery to his hometown.
A horse-drawn caisson carried his remains to their final resting place, symbolizing a solemn tribute to a fallen hero.
