After 81 Years, Southington World War II Hero Coming Home

SOUTHINGTON, CT — It is March 22, 1945, and Germany is on its last leg as the Allies are marching toward that nation's capital in Berlin.

Flying above is an American B-17G bomber, ready to attack oil refineries in Ruhland, Germany.

Its goal is to starve Adolph Hitler's sputtering war machine of the fuel it needs to power the units of tanks, trucks, and planes ... or what's left of them.

Hitler would go on to commit suicide more than a month later, the war in Europe ending in surrender shortly thereafter. His body was found by Soviet soldiers invading from the east.

One man in that B-17 — turret gunner and Southington resident Donald A. Dorman — died in that attack at the age of 21, his remains never to be found.

Until last year.

According to Southington Veterans Committee Chairperson Rachel Wache, Dorman will soon be coming home 81 years after losing his life fighting fascism in Europe.

And if Wache has anything to say about it, Southington this year will have a massive commemoration of Dorman's sacrifice, with multiple events planned, though not yet finalized.

Right now, local volunteers and veterans groups are working frantically behind the scenes to make sure Dorman's memory is honored this year.

"I want this to be an amazing show of respect for this soldier," Wache said Thursday. "It's very, very important to me."

Now 86, Wache was just a young child when Dorman shipped off to war shortly after graduating from Lewis High School (now Southington High School) and, briefly, working at the Chandler Evans Corp. in Meriden.

A member of the U.S. Army Air Corps (a precursor to today's U.S. Air Force), Dorman flew missions over Europe up until the war's final weeks.

Tasked with one of the most dangerous jobs of the war, Dorman's time ran out just weeks before the Nazi surrender.

For decades, he was listed as "missing in action," a designation that lasted until last fall, specifically, Nov. 17, 2025.

That's when the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced it had identified Dorman's remains in Poland, where his plane is presumed to have crashed after being hit by German anti-aircraft and fighter plane fire.

Dorman, a tech sergeant in the 29th Bombardment Squadron, 2nd Bombardment Group, was the upper turret gunner in the B-17, one of 10 crew members.

He never made it home alive, as his plane was hit with both flak and bullets, prompting the aircraft to crash into Poland after being hit over Germany.

Of the 10 men in the crew, eight died, with only the pilot and co-pilot surviving after the entire crew was forced to bail out.

Regarding what specifically happened that fateful day 81 years ago, the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency had this to say:

"While over the target area, the B-17G was hit by anti-aircraft fire, damaging the plane and prompting the pilot to fly towards Allied Soviet-held territory for an emergency landing. While over Poland, the bomber was attacked by several German fighter aircraft and was critically damaged, forcing the crew to bail out. Survivor reports indicate that the enemy fighters fired on the crew as they parachuted to the ground. Of the ten crew members, eight, including Dorman, were lost at some point during or after the crash. The two survivors, who were captured by German troops and later returned to U.S. custody, were not sure how many crew members had managed to bail out. After the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. personnel missing from the European Theater. However, at the time, the AGRC investigations in the Soviet occupied zone of Europe, including Poland, were severely limited."

For Wache, Dorman's story has dominated her time since last fall, when she found out through a friend that Dorman's remains were identified.

As Wache explains, she ran into a friend at the Southington Apple Harvest Festival last October who tipped her off to Dorman's remains being identified.

Wache then went to the town's veterans memorial and saw Dorman's full name on the monument.

"I said, 'Oh my gosh, I've got to go with this,'" Wache recounted.

She eventually came into contact with Dorman's oldest living relative, Massachusetts resident Carol Beusee, who is a cousin of Dorman.

Working with Beusee, Wache said she's waiting for Dorman's relatives to navigate the red tape associated with the government flying his remains back to Connecticut.

Once that happens, she said, Southington is going to go all out to welcome Dorman home.

Beusee has been communicating with the veterans committee in Southington regarding the logistics of getting him home.

And while nothing is completely finalized, Beusee wrote to the town that her cousin's final resting place, after more than eight decades, will be in Southington.

"He will receive full military honors and be laid to rest at the place of my choosing," wrote Beusee to the town, as spoken by Wache.

That final stop will be Oak Hill Cemetery on Queen Street in Southington, according to Beusee and Wache.

As for the details of how Dorman's remains were found, Wache said not a lot is known.

She said Dorman's family thought human remains found years ago were his, but DNA testing proved otherwise.

That wasn't the case last year, however.

"They matched (the DNA) with Donald's family, and they said it's him. He's been found," Wache said.

She said Beusee told her the U.S. Army called her, telling Beusee that Dorman's remains were found in Glinica Village in Poland.

Meanwhile, Wache is working with the local school system, a local church, and the town to craft together events that will take place when Dorman eventually returns.

"You have to understand this is like a gigantic puzzle and there are so many pieces to it," she said. "I have a lot of people doing a lot of little things."

Wache remarked that Dorman's return is apropos, given that 2026 marks the 250th birthday of the country he proudly served.

She envisions yellow ribbons, some of which are already showing up around town, to honor not only Dorman, but all Southington military veterans.

With Dorman's story very close to resolution, Wache and the town vow to give him the proper honors he deserves.

"We're making this happen," Wache said. "It's going to be a beautiful thing. This happens once in a lifetime in a community."

For the official announcement of Southington resident Donald A. Dorman's remains being identified, click on this link.

For the full story on Southington resident Donald A. Dorman's World War II service, click on this link.