Procession To Honor WWII Pilot Returned Home After 77 Years

LOS ANGELES, CA — Seventy-seven years after he was shot down over Berlin in a World War II bomber, First Lt. Ernest Roth will finally get the tribute he deserves.

Law enforcement, firefighters and community members will line the route from Los Angeles International Airport Wednesday to a Los Angeles mortuary as Roth's remains are returned to his family, a somber tradition known as a Hero's Mission. Roth's niece will greet his coffin after his plane touches down at LAX.

"His burial is 77 years overdue," said Laura Herzog, founder and executive director of Honoring Our Fallen, a nonprofit that honors fallen soldiers and supports their families in mourning.

Allowing him to return to his family, to be buried with full military honors, fulfills the promise made to him and other soldiers who fight for America's freedom, said Herzog. For younger generations, it's a testament that the military stands by its word that no brother will be left behind, said Herzog. And To those of us who take our freedoms for granted, it's a reminder of the sacrifices made, she added.

Roth, a Los Angeles resident when he enlisted in the Air Force, served in WWII with the 359th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force. He went missing on May 19, 1944, while on a bombing run over Berlin, according to Herzog. His bomber, carrying a crew of 10 people, was hit by flak and crashed. Six of the 10 crew members were killed, including Roth. The rest were captured and became prisoners of war. According to the U.S. Defense Department's POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Roth was recovered by German forces and reportedly buried in the Doberitz cemetery.

Following the war, the agency tasked with investigating and recovering missing Americans found a set of unknown remains designated X-4801 Neuville in a grave nearby that was thought to either be Roth or another American. In 2016, historians began focused research on eight sets of unknown remains recovered from Doberitz and concluded there were four possible casualties that could be associated with X-4801 Neuville.

In June 2018, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed X-4801 and transferred the remains to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

To identify Roth's remains, scientists used anthropological analysis, along with circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.

U.S. Defense officials said his remains were positively identified and accounted for on Feb. 4, 2020.

Roth's arrival at Los Angeles International Airport, expected around 5:30 p.m., will be a private gathering for family, but Honoring Our Fallen is asking the public to help show gratitude by lining the route with flags to honor Roth as he is returned home.

"It’s these men and women who sign a blank check knowing they may never make it home to their loved ones," Herzog said. "It's humbling."

The procession is scheduled to travel south on Sepulveda Boulevard, east on the Century (105) Freeway, north on the San Diego (405) Freeway, east on Wilshire Boulevard and south on Glendon Avenue to Pierce Brothers Westwood Village.

Roth will have a private funeral Friday at Los Angeles National Cemetery.

City News Service contributed to this report.