Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- More than 80 years later, the remains of 1st Lt. George Wilson, killed in the crash of his B-17 in France during WWII, are returning to Utah.
- Erik Bornemeier helped track down the crash site, aided by locals in the French town where the incident occurred.
- A formal burial for Wilson is set for July 8 in Bountiful.
BOUNTIFUL — More than 80 years after a WWII pilot's bomber was hit, his remains are returning home to Utah.
1st Lt. George "Frankie" Wilson of Bountiful was one of nine crew members flying on a B-17 on July 8, 1944. "They were two minutes from bomb drop, got hit with flak," said Erik Bornemeier, whose wife Sonni is Wilson's great-niece.
Wilson steered the plane out of the direction of a town and into a field, crashing and dying in the process, though his heroic actions saved others. "He kept that plane up so that his crew could bail out. He saved the life of the crew, saved the lives of his teammates and saved the lives of the townspeople," Bornemeier said.
Wilson's remains were never recovered, at least at the time. Fast forward to 2018 and that all started to change. Bornemeier found declassified documents that helped him identify the place where Wilson's plane had likely crashed — a small town in France called Monchy-Cayeux. Then his efforts shifted into high gear.
"I told my wife, 'I'm getting off the plane in Paris and I'm going to spend two days and just look around,'" Bornemeier said.
He connected with a local reporter and several townspeople in Monchy-Cauyeux, who helped him search a nearby field. On July 8, 2018, they found the plane's wreckage.
"Within 25 minutes we had a box full of plane parts," Bornemeier said. "We found the site two-and-a-half months into starting the project, and on the day — almost to the hour — of the anniversary of his crash."
The next mission — find Wilson. Excavations in 2021 and 2022 uncovered human remains. Then late last year, Bornemeier's family got the news they had been waiting for — a positive identification. Eight decades later, "Frankie," as he was known, was finally coming home.
Bornemeier said once they get the remains, they'll bury Wilson in his hometown of Bountiful next to his sister and parents.
"I get to bring George back to his mom," Bornemeier said. "In a time where we talk so little about miracles, it reminds you that they still exist."
1st Lt. George Wilson will be laid to rest in the Bountiful Cemetery on July 8 with full military honors, including a gun salute and flyover. Bornemeier will serve as his escort.
