Remains of POW To Be Buried in Montana

The remains of a World War II prisoner of war will be returned to his Montana home some 70 years after his plane was shot down.

The remains of Army Air Forces 1st Lt. William D. Bernier were uncovered by a U.S. team in 2001 and were recently identified.

Bernier, along with 11 other B-24D Liberator crew members, were shot down April 10, 1944, over New Guinea.

Four of the crew were able to parachute from the aircraft but were reported to have died in captivity.

Bernier's remains will be buried in his hometown of Augusta next Friday.

His niece, Sandra Jones, tells the Independent Record that she had the option of burying him at Arlington National Cemetery, but decided to bring him home to Montana instead.