Memorial services held for 2 servicemen killed overseas in World War II
Two U.S. servicemen whose remains were identified more than six decades after they were killed overseas during World War II finally got funerals in their California hometowns.
The Defense Department says Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Homer Spence and Marine Corps Reserve Assistant Cook Frank Masoni were buried Saturday with military honors. Spence’s funeral was in Manteca and the service for Masoni was in Gilroy.
The plane Spence was piloting disappeared during a mission over southern Germany in July 1944. He was 22. The wreckage was found in 2010, and Spence’s remains were identified using DNA analysis.
Masoni was killed in November 1943 during a battle with Japanese forces on an island in the Pacific Ocean. He was 21. His remains were identified using dental and other records.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
