IN MAY 1949 THEY WERE THE THE VERY FIRST U. S. AIR FORCE TOP GUN PILOTS
332nd Fighter Group - Awarded First Place In The Conventional (Propeller) Aircraft Division
*** THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN ***CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Remains uncovered in Italy after World War II have been identified as Second Lieutenant Fred L. Brewer Jr., a North Carolina native and Tuskegee Airman.
The Pentagon and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Brewer's identity was confirmed on Aug. 10, 2023.
Brewer went missing while piloting one of 57 fighter planes escorting bombers on a mission to Regensburg, Germany, on Oct. 29, 1944. The airplanes ran into heavy cloud cover in southern Italy, forcing 47 of the fighters to return to base.
Brewer was not among those who returned. He had reportedly been attempting to climb his airplane out of the cloud cover when he stalled and fell into a spin.
Remains were recovered after the war in a civilian cemetery in the area, but technology at the time was unable to identify the remains. So they were interred as an unknown.
New techniques allowed scientists with the Department of Defense to reexamine the remains and identify them as belonging to Brewer.
According to our newsgathering partners at the News & Observer, Brewer was a native of Charlotte who graduated from Shaw University in Raleigh in 1942. He enlisted in the Army the following year and trained as a pilot at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama.
A cousin of Brewer told The Washington Post that funeral arrangements had not yet been made, but she wanted to see Brewer properly buried in Charlotte.
Report A Correction Or Typo
Copyright © 2023 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Related Topics
NC
CHARLOTTE
RALEIGH
VETERANS
MILITARY
"Top Gun Commander" - Captain Alva Temple
Tuskegee Airmen Virtual Cemetery
(Please transfer any Tuskegee Airmen you have to the Cemetery Manager---pm)
Fred L. Brewer, Jr. graduated in 1938 from Second Ward High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to the 2007 North Carolina General Assembly's Joint Resolution, which honored the Tuskegee Airmen for their service in World War II, Brewer was the only Tuskegee Airmen pilot from Mecklenburg County.
During a bomber escort mission over Germany on October 29, 1944, 2nd Lieutenant Brewer's P-51 Mustang airplane, which he had nicknamed "Traveling Light," experienced engine trouble and stalled out, disappeared into the clouds, and was never seen again. His remains were never recovered.
332nd Fighter Group - Awarded First Place In The Conventional (Propeller) Aircraft Division
*** THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN ***CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Remains uncovered in Italy after World War II have been identified as Second Lieutenant Fred L. Brewer Jr., a North Carolina native and Tuskegee Airman.
The Pentagon and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Brewer's identity was confirmed on Aug. 10, 2023.
Brewer went missing while piloting one of 57 fighter planes escorting bombers on a mission to Regensburg, Germany, on Oct. 29, 1944. The airplanes ran into heavy cloud cover in southern Italy, forcing 47 of the fighters to return to base.
Brewer was not among those who returned. He had reportedly been attempting to climb his airplane out of the cloud cover when he stalled and fell into a spin.
Remains were recovered after the war in a civilian cemetery in the area, but technology at the time was unable to identify the remains. So they were interred as an unknown.
New techniques allowed scientists with the Department of Defense to reexamine the remains and identify them as belonging to Brewer.
According to our newsgathering partners at the News & Observer, Brewer was a native of Charlotte who graduated from Shaw University in Raleigh in 1942. He enlisted in the Army the following year and trained as a pilot at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama.
A cousin of Brewer told The Washington Post that funeral arrangements had not yet been made, but she wanted to see Brewer properly buried in Charlotte.
Report A Correction Or Typo
Copyright © 2023 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Related Topics
NC
CHARLOTTE
RALEIGH
VETERANS
MILITARY
"Top Gun Commander" - Captain Alva Temple
Tuskegee Airmen Virtual Cemetery
(Please transfer any Tuskegee Airmen you have to the Cemetery Manager---pm)
Fred L. Brewer, Jr. graduated in 1938 from Second Ward High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to the 2007 North Carolina General Assembly's Joint Resolution, which honored the Tuskegee Airmen for their service in World War II, Brewer was the only Tuskegee Airmen pilot from Mecklenburg County.
During a bomber escort mission over Germany on October 29, 1944, 2nd Lieutenant Brewer's P-51 Mustang airplane, which he had nicknamed "Traveling Light," experienced engine trouble and stalled out, disappeared into the clouds, and was never seen again. His remains were never recovered.
IN MAY 1949 THEY WERE THE THE VERY FIRST U. S. AIR FORCE TOP GUN PILOTS
332nd Fighter Group - Awarded First Place In The Conventional (Propeller) Aircraft Division
*** THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN ***CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Remains uncovered in Italy after World War II have been identified as Second Lieutenant Fred L. Brewer Jr., a North Carolina native and Tuskegee Airman.
The Pentagon and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Brewer's identity was confirmed on Aug. 10, 2023.
Brewer went missing while piloting one of 57 fighter planes escorting bombers on a mission to Regensburg, Germany, on Oct. 29, 1944. The airplanes ran into heavy cloud cover in southern Italy, forcing 47 of the fighters to return to base.
Brewer was not among those who returned. He had reportedly been attempting to climb his airplane out of the cloud cover when he stalled and fell into a spin.
Remains were recovered after the war in a civilian cemetery in the area, but technology at the time was unable to identify the remains. So they were interred as an unknown.
New techniques allowed scientists with the Department of Defense to reexamine the remains and identify them as belonging to Brewer.
According to our newsgathering partners at the News & Observer, Brewer was a native of Charlotte who graduated from Shaw University in Raleigh in 1942. He enlisted in the Army the following year and trained as a pilot at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama.
A cousin of Brewer told The Washington Post that funeral arrangements had not yet been made, but she wanted to see Brewer properly buried in Charlotte.
Report A Correction Or Typo
Copyright © 2023 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Related Topics
NC
CHARLOTTE
RALEIGH
VETERANS
MILITARY
"Top Gun Commander" - Captain Alva Temple
Tuskegee Airmen Virtual Cemetery
(Please transfer any Tuskegee Airmen you have to the Cemetery Manager---pm)
Fred L. Brewer, Jr. graduated in 1938 from Second Ward High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to the 2007 North Carolina General Assembly's Joint Resolution, which honored the Tuskegee Airmen for their service in World War II, Brewer was the only Tuskegee Airmen pilot from Mecklenburg County.
During a bomber escort mission over Germany on October 29, 1944, 2nd Lieutenant Brewer's P-51 Mustang airplane, which he had nicknamed "Traveling Light," experienced engine trouble and stalled out, disappeared into the clouds, and was never seen again. His remains were never recovered.
332nd Fighter Group - Awarded First Place In The Conventional (Propeller) Aircraft Division
*** THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN ***CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Remains uncovered in Italy after World War II have been identified as Second Lieutenant Fred L. Brewer Jr., a North Carolina native and Tuskegee Airman.
The Pentagon and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Brewer's identity was confirmed on Aug. 10, 2023.
Brewer went missing while piloting one of 57 fighter planes escorting bombers on a mission to Regensburg, Germany, on Oct. 29, 1944. The airplanes ran into heavy cloud cover in southern Italy, forcing 47 of the fighters to return to base.
Brewer was not among those who returned. He had reportedly been attempting to climb his airplane out of the cloud cover when he stalled and fell into a spin.
Remains were recovered after the war in a civilian cemetery in the area, but technology at the time was unable to identify the remains. So they were interred as an unknown.
New techniques allowed scientists with the Department of Defense to reexamine the remains and identify them as belonging to Brewer.
According to our newsgathering partners at the News & Observer, Brewer was a native of Charlotte who graduated from Shaw University in Raleigh in 1942. He enlisted in the Army the following year and trained as a pilot at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama.
A cousin of Brewer told The Washington Post that funeral arrangements had not yet been made, but she wanted to see Brewer properly buried in Charlotte.
Report A Correction Or Typo
Copyright © 2023 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Related Topics
NC
CHARLOTTE
RALEIGH
VETERANS
MILITARY
"Top Gun Commander" - Captain Alva Temple
Tuskegee Airmen Virtual Cemetery
(Please transfer any Tuskegee Airmen you have to the Cemetery Manager---pm)
Fred L. Brewer, Jr. graduated in 1938 from Second Ward High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to the 2007 North Carolina General Assembly's Joint Resolution, which honored the Tuskegee Airmen for their service in World War II, Brewer was the only Tuskegee Airmen pilot from Mecklenburg County.
During a bomber escort mission over Germany on October 29, 1944, 2nd Lieutenant Brewer's P-51 Mustang airplane, which he had nicknamed "Traveling Light," experienced engine trouble and stalled out, disappeared into the clouds, and was never seen again. His remains were never recovered.
Inscription
Second Lieutenant, 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from North Carolina.
Family Members
Other Records
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
