Today marked the end of a journey of a previously listed missing serviceman, and the fulfillment of a dream for a hopeful family. On this brilliant October morning, Marty and I had the honor of attending the burial ceremony of 2 Lt Justice J. Buttala.
Although his family hails from Chicago, they chose to have Justice laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, which is a few hours drive from our home. When I mentioned to Marty that I would like to attend, he was more than happy to support that decision. And so, we set out yesterday, staying overnight near the cemetery, to make the event less stressful this morning.
I had not met the family, but they knew about me. And that was due to the fact that it was my search that led to finding Justice's youngest sister who was at today's event, and, may I say, quite the delight.
Many of you are aware that I volunteer with MIA Recovery Network, which is a non profit organization devoted to helping families of Missing in Action casualties find information pertaining to their loved one. In 2017, a volunteer colleague of mine, asked if I would be willing to devote some time to a fairly large project that involved finding families for 35 missing airmen. She had been contacted by the grandson of one of these missing airmen, Michael Krehl, who was informed by DPAA that he needed to find family contacts in order to pursue this case. I was more than happy to assist Michael in the effort and immediately got to work hunting down possible contacts. The number would soon expand to over 60, as DPAA wanted contacts for airmen who were identified and buried after the war, to rule out possible co-mingling.
Michael really did all of the leg work, mailing out letters to the contacts that I supplied, eventually resorting to registered mail when it was clear that many of the recipients ignored letters from this man whom they did not know.
And so it was the same with Justice's younger sister, who ignored the first letter, questioned the second, and handed the third to her nephew, Robert, asking him to please look into it. He would be the family member to learn that this was, indeed, not a scam, but the possible answer to solving the question of what exactly happened to his Uncle Justice.
It hasn't been an easy journey. Michael has had to meet with senators and congressmen to aid him in his cause. And, finally, through his efforts, DPAA disinterred 35 unknowns from the Manila American Cemetery who were known to be connected to this case. I admire this man for his tenacity.
The story behind the loss is brutal. According to documents, over 60 airmen imprisoned in a Tokyo POW camp perished on May 26, 1945, when the camp was strafed by American bombers. Although 200 Japanese prisoners were set free, the airmen were locked in their cells, with no chance of escape. About half of them were identified after the war, but the remaining victims could not be positively identified at that time. So, they were labeled as unknowns and buried in Manila.
But the use of DNA has been a game changer, and those unknowns who could not be identified nearly 80 years ago, now have the opportunity to have their identities established by comparing the data extracted from the remains to the DNA that has been collected from family members.
Justice was the second airmen to be identified from the unknowns, back in January, but his interment was scheduled for today. And so, his family flocked from Chicago and other areas to stand together to pay tribute to this courageous man who sacrificed his life for our country.
We set out for Arlington early and were placed in line outside the gates.
You can see the long line of cars behind us.
One of the other attendees was able to capture the name on the schedule sign.
Unfortunately, it had been updated to the next set of funerals before we were able to get a glimpse on our way in.
We were escorted to a central area where the dignified transfer was made from hearse to the caisson to be pulled by horses to the gravesite.
An army band played while the transfer took place.
Then the walk to the grave began while we followed slowly, in our cars, behind.
We arrived at the section where Justice will be permanently interred, and the casket was transferred for the final ceremonies to take place.
The flag was carefully removed
and there was the twenty one gun salute.
A bugler played taps while the guard meticulously folded the American flag that had draped the casket.
The flag was then presented to Justice's youngest sister.
Justice had been married when he entered the service, and he was the father of a 2 1/2 year old little girl, named Faith, when he perished in the POW camp. She sadly passed in 2017, just when our search for family members was beginning. She would never know that her father had been identified and brought to this national cemetery for burial.
The chaplain gave quite an inspiring speech during the ceremony.
I was moved by what he said, and I'd like to share some of his words with you here:
Today is a day of both sorrow and solemn reverence. On days like this we often speak of lives well lived, of families raised and legacies built over time.
We are reminded of the young men who sacrificed everything. We speak of the memories that they never made; the laughter that never had the chance to echo around dinner tables; wisdom that would never be passed down through generations. Today we must speak of not what was, but what could have been.
We speak of the father Justice might have come. The grandfather his family never got to embrace. The dreams that he never got to pursue. The life he never had to fully live.
This is the deep cost of war. Not only the loss of life. The loss of the future. The unwritten chapters, the silence where a voice once belonged. It is a burden carried not just by the fallen, but by every soul who ever loved him......................
Today Justice takes his rightful place among the eternal ranks of heroes who have sanctified this ground with their lives. Through their sacrifice they shaped the destiny of our nation. And now we stand among them, this duty fulfilled. This memory preserved.
And so the responsibility falls on us, the living. to be sure that the sacrifice is never forgotten. To protect the freedoms that they died for. To hold the ideals they fought to defend.
Because there is a promise etched into the very soul of our republic.
A promise that echoes across the rolling hills of Arlington National Cemetery, and through the silence of every white stone. We will never leave a fallen comrade.
Today, after 80 years, that sacred promise has been fulfilled. Justice has come home. He is not forgotten, he is not alone. He is honored forever more.
May his sacrifice inspire our devotion. May his memory strengthen our resolve. May he rest now, at last, in the place he so valiantly earned.
2 LT Justice J Buttala will be permanently interred in Section 62, grave #966 of Arlington National Cemetery. He rests just across the road from where his wife is buried beside her second husband. A touching end to Justice's story.
There will hopefully be more such stories to share in the future as DPAA continues their role in establishing identifications. But what has really impressed me is the camaraderie between several of the missing airmen families.
A couple flew in from Minnesota to attend this funeral. They have their own recently identified airman who will be buried in June in North Dakota. A woman came from Virginia, a relative of a casualty herself.
And finally, Michael Krehl, the man whose driving force and resolve to assure that DPAA stood with their commitment to recognize and identify this group of Manila unknowns, was in attendance, having flown in from Florida to be there today.
These are newly found friends who have bonded through a common loss. And it's heartwarming to see the support that each have to offer. I cannot begin to express how proud I am to have played just a small part in this process, and how privileged and honored that I feel to have met them.
I was given this beautiful emblem from Michael, that honors and remembers those who perished in the fire.
I close here asking that you, too, take on the responsibility to assure that the sacrifices of these young men are never forgotten.
Thank you, Justice, for your service. May God grant you eternal peace.
