Lost in 1945, WWII Airman Will Be Laid to Rest in Home State of Pennsylvania

FORT KNOX, Ky. – The remains of U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Fatur, 19, of Slickville, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, will be interred at Twin Valley Memorial Park in Delmont, Pennsylvania. Services and interment will be coordinated by Bash-Nied-Jobe Funeral Home.

During World War II, Fatur was assigned to 429th Bombardment Squadron, 2nd Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force. Fatur served as the tailgunner aboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress” bomber. On March 22, 1945, during a bombing mission near the village of Glinica, Poland, Fatur’s aircraft crashed. Seven of the ten crewmembers, including Fatur, were killed. His remains were not accounted for after the war.

Between 2019 and 2025, DPAA partnered with Alta Archaeological Consulting and California State University, Chico to plan and conduct six excavations at the site where Fatur’s aircraft crashed. California State University, Chico, contributed to the initial 2019 recovery with Alta, and Alta has continued excavations at site since that time. During the excavations, the partner teams recovered possible remains, which were transferred to the DPAA Laboratory for scientific analysis.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency accounted for Fatur on July 9, 2025..

For more information on DPAA’s efforts to locate and identify Fatur, please visit: https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/ID-Announcements/Article/4407662/airman-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-fatur-s/

U.S. Army Human Resources Command’s Past Conflict Repatriations Branch plays a vital role in the process of identifying, locating and contacting subsequent generation family members of Soldiers missing or killed in action during WWII and the Korean War to positively identify previously undiscovered or unknown remains.

Media interested in covering and/or obtaining more information about the funeral and interment should contact Bash-Nied-Jobe Funeral Home, 724-468-8381.