Remains of fallen World War II soldier from N.J. are finally accounted for, officials say

A New Jersey resident killed in World War II has recently been accounted for, officials said on Monday.
The remains of U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. William Scott, who was killed in the war at the age of 21, were identified in 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said.
Scott, a Passaic resident, was operating an aircraft in Romania on Aug. 1, 1943, when it was hit by a bomb near the the capital city of Bucharest. The bombing was a part of Operation Tidal Wave, a mass bombing on Romania’s oil refineries that killed more than 300 soldiers.
His remains could not be identified at the time of his death and he was buried as an unknown fallen hero at the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan in Romania.
Scott’s remains were among the unknown soldiers who were later exhumed and reexamined. On Nov. 28, 2022, scientists at the Offutt Air Force Base in Sarpy County, Nebraska, identified the remains as Scott. His family was recently told of the identification, prompting the public announcement of it, DPAA officials said.
Scott’s remains will be buried at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown on Dec. 9.
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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at [email protected].