03/05/2024
For those that are interested in honoring WWII MIA Staff Sergeant Henry Stevens:
WWII hero’s remains finally returned home
Staff Sgt. Henry L. Stevens to be interred this Friday.
The public is invited to help honor WWII hero U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Henry L. Stevens on Friday, March 8 at Purcell Chapel, Beyers Funeral Home, service at 11:30 and committal service at the Florida National Cemetery at 1:00 in Bushnell.
There will be a motorcycle es**rt from Bushnell to the Florida National Cemetery, but for those who unable to join the es**rt, they can stand along the side of S.R. 48 in Bushnell, between U.S. 301 and Hayes Road or along C.R. 476 and C.R. 476 B on the route to the cemetery at approximately 12:30 p.m.
Those supporting the effort are encouraged to bring American flags and let the family know that the Stevens’ sacrifice is being honored.
The public is also invited to go directly to the cemetery to attend the 1 p.m. interment service at the Assembly Area. Those who attend are encouraged to arrive by noon, but no later than 12:40 p.m. A flyover is planned during the service.
Stevens' daughter, who was only 18 months old when he was killed in action in 1944, will be in the es**rt, to attend her father's interment service.
In late 1944, Stevens was assigned to the 557th Bombardment Squadron, 387th Bombardment Group, Ninth U.S. Air Force, in the European Theater of Operations. On Dec. 23, Stevens was a crewmember aboard a B-26F “Marauder” aircraft, nicknamed Shirley D, which was shot by anti-aircraft fire over Bitburg, Germany, while returning from a bombing raid.
Witness reported Shirley D took damage to the right engine, resulting in a massive fire which forced crewmen to bail out. Survivors watched Shirley D crash near Winville, Belgium, with several crewmembers, including Stevens, still onboard. From Monroe, La. Stevens was 23 at the time of his death.
While the remains of some of the seven-member crew were recovered soon after the crash and others years later, Stevens’ remains were not recovered until last year.
