‘Honor them any way possible’: Tuskegee airman buried at Salisbury cemetery 79 years after death
SALISBURY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The remains of Charlotte native, and Tuskegee Airman, Second Lt. Fred Brewer Jr., have been returned to American soil and now rest amongst fellow servicemembers at the Salisbury National Cemetery, nearly eight decades since he passed away.
The Wednesday ceremony was held at the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, followed by a ceremony at the cemetery with full military honors, which included a 21-gun salute and a horse-drawn carriage to accompany the casket.
The airman crashed while on a daring mission in Germany on October 29, 1944.
He and his Rail Tal Angel Combat Pilot group were on a mission to protect bombers as they went to take out crucial German targets.
While details have remained limited on the specifics of the situation, witnesses reported that Lt. Brewer and his plane, Travelin’ Light, hit a heavy patch of fog while on the mission.
The plane stalled out after it was pulled up too steeply and crashed to the earth.
While his remains were recovered, they were buried in a cemetery in Italy, unidentified.
It took extensive tests and DNA analysis in 2023 before the remains had a positive match to the last surviving members of the Brewer family in Charlotte, N.C.
Wednesday afternoon, his family member Brenda Brewer said this would be his final burial.
“He has had three other burials. Today will be his fourth, but the only one in America,” she said.
Veterans surrounded Lt. Brewer’s family with love and support, which included some who traveled hours to be there.
Greg Gentry, an airman and member of the CVMA Chapter explained that his four-hour drive was to show that no man gets left behind.
Gentry said, “We honored him the way he should’ve been honored today for what he did. And that’s what’s important. He will always be here where people can come pay tribute for his sacrifice.”
Among others in the audience, included Andrew Pendleton, a member of the 451st Bombardier Group who believes it’s possible he was on the mission Lt. Brewer died on.
He spoke during the cemetery side service where he said Lt. Brewer and his group ensured that there was a five percent reduction in the number of men who died on mission.
“He and his comrades, they really saved our butts. We were so grateful for what they did. I’m so glad I had a chance to thank them as a self-appointed member of the bombers,” Pendleton told Queen City News after the ceremony.
While Lt. Brewer is finally at peace, there is more to his story.
According to representatives from the Tuskegee Airman Inc., they are close to confirming more details about Lt. Brewer’s heroics during the war and on Oct. 29.
WW II veteran discovers possible connection with Charlotte Tuskegee Airman
The following is Second Lt. Fred Brewer’s Obituary written down in pamphlets passed out at his funeral service.
2nd Lt Fred Lorenzo Brewer, Jr. served as a U.S. Military Combat Pilot during World War 11 (WWIl).
He was one of the Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTA) known as Red Tail Angels.
They were known to have lost fewer escorted bombers to enemy aircraft than other fighter escort groups in support of allied Forces in the European Theater.
Fred, Jr. was born in Charlotte, NC on August 4, 1921. He was the first-born child of Fred L. Sr. and Janie Dunlap Brewer. His only sibling, Gladys, passed away on January 1, 2008. Fred, Jr. was dedicated to family, church and attended Ebenezer Baptist Church faithfully throughout his youth.
Fred, Jr. served as an assistant in a local chemistry laboratory. In 1938, he graduated from the segregated Second Ward High School in Charlotte, NC. Afterwards, he enrolled in Shaw University in Raleigh, NC. He was listed in the 1941-42 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. During his junior and senior years, he served as Editor of the Shaw Journal and Bear.
In 1941, he was a student representative at the National Intercollegiate Christian Council at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Prior to graduating from Shaw University in 1942, Fred, Jr. was a delegate to the National Conference of Negro Youth.
Fred, Jr. enlisted in the U.S. Army in November of 1943. On March 12, 1944, he completed single-engine pilot training at the Tuskegee Army Airfield (TAAF) in Tuskegee, AL. There he graduated with Class SE-44-C, as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was awarded and received his pilot wings graduating with highest honors.
It’s important to note that of the approximately 1,000 pilots who trained at the TAAF, between 1941 through 1946, only 355 of these pilots served overseas in the all-black 332nd Fighter Group, which included 2nd Lt Brewer’s 100th Fighter Squadron.
Lt Brewer left for overseas duty as a Red Tail (Angel) Combat Pilot in July of 1944 where he was stationed with the 100th Fighter Group in the Mediterranean Theater of Operation.
On October 29, 1944, 2nd Lt Brewer was part of a group that took off from the American Air Base at Ramitelli, Italy. Their purpose was to provide fighter escorts to bombers of the 15th Army Air Force in support of a mission to bomb targets in Germany.
During this mission, some pilots had to turn back because of the thick cloud cover. Lt Brewer and the rest continued. A fighter pilot noticed that 2nd Lt Brewer’s aircraft had pulled up too steeply trying to climb out of the clouds and the engine of his aircraft, Travelin’ Lite, stalled out.
The pilot immediately lost sight of 2nd Lt Brewer. Neither 2nd Lt Brewer nor Travelin’ Lite were seen again.
On this date, 2nd Lt Brewer was pronounced Missing in Action (MIA).
In November of 1945, 2a Lt Fred L. Brewer was officially declared dead. In recognition of his service to this country, in December of 1945, a memorial service was held at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Charlotte.
An investigation into a possible identification with an unknown American buried in an American cemetery in Florence, Italy was pursued in 1953 with no success. In August of 2023, the remains of 2nd Lt Fred L. Brewer, Jr. were identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).
In his short 23 years, 2″ Lt Fred Lorenzo Brewer, Jr. made great achievements in a society that offered him very little to work with. He was a chemistry lab assistant and became the academic dream of an American family. He furthered his willingness to serve by becoming 2nd Lt Fred L. Brewer, Jr. and began to escort bombers during WWII. And although he continued to grow in these many directions, he was always the person he started as a son to Janie and Fred L. Sr., a brother to Gladys, and a dedicated Christian.
We thank God that his body has withstood time and has been returned here today as these honors and recognitions are being delivered.
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