Springfield family will be reunited with soldier's dog tag found in WWII plane's wreckage

A few weeks ago, Raimondo Brevetti was sorting through old boxes when he came across a handful of artifacts he collected nearly 80 years ago. Tucked carefully inside a book were three U.S. military pins, one dog tag and a metal plate that has once been fastened on an airplane. Brevetti, 97, collected the materials when he was 19 years old, living in Cervinara, Italy.

Upon discovering the military artifacts, Brevetti retold the story of how he came across them to his wife, Jeanette Brevetti. The couple, who live in New York, have been married for 24 years. With a passion for ancestral research and creating family trees, Jeanette was quick to get to work researching the name stamped across the dog tag: "Joseph H. Brandon."

With the help of online resources, it didn't take Jeanette long to learn that Joseph Haley Brandon was from Springfield, Missouri. She was also able to find information on Brandon's nephew, Joseph Brandon Carroll, who unfortunately was killed in a 1987 plane crash in Springfield at age 41, according to News-Leader archives. Finally, Jeanette was able to find a phone number for 56-year-old Joseph Brandon Carroll II, who goes by Brandon Carroll.

On Monday, Nov. 20, the Brevettis, Carroll and Gregory Brevetti, Jeanette and Raimondo's nephew, joined in on a conference call to "meet" for the first time. Over a nearly 45-minute phone call, Raimondo recalled how he found the dog tag and Carroll shared the impact his great uncle's death had on his family. The News-Leader sat in on their conversation.

Found amid the rubble

It was on April 28, 1945 when an American military aircraft crashed near Cervinara, close enough to Brevetti's home that he can still recall seeing the explosion and flames among the mountains. Aboard the airplane were 16 American men, all of whom died in the crash. 1st Lt. Joseph Brandon of Springfield was one of these men. The mens' deaths came just shy of five months before World War II ended in September 1945.

According to research conducted by Jeanette, the airplane was traveling from Naples to Rome when it crashed.

Raimondo, a 19-year-old medical student at the time, said he ventured out just four days after the airplane crash, hiking about two hours to reach the crash site.

"I saw this aircraft that was pointing north ... the engines were half in the ground, half dipped in the ground and the tail of the aircraft was somehow up in the air," Raimondo recalled. Upon his arrival, there were about 15 to 20 locals stripping copper wiring from the airplane. All of the bodies had been removed from the site before his visit.

Looking through some of the debris himself, Raimondo found the three military pins, dog tag and metal plate that is now in his possession. Two of the pins appear to be U.S. Air Force navigator wings and the other has an eagle insignia on it. Raimondo took these artifacts home, putting them in a book for safe keeping.

"I forgot all about it," Raimondo said on the call.

Joseph Brandon's funeral held three years after death

Information about the 16 men on that airplane, including Brandon, is limited. Jeanette said in the coming weeks, she has a few calls scheduled with various military organizations across the country, including the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, with the hope of learning more about them.

Carroll, a history buff, said he too has tried finding more information about his great uncle, but has not had much luck. He did express, however, that his great uncle's death had a great impact on his family.

Brandon was the sole sibling of Leila Brandon (Leila Carroll after marriage) and his death weighed heavy on his sister. Leila died in 1991, Carroll said.

"It was always a sad story," Carroll added. "He was loved. He was handsome. It was a tragedy, and she (Leila) couldn't talk too much about it without getting very emotional. She would have loved this moment."

Initially buried in the U.S. Military Cemetery in Naples, Italy, Brandon's remains were returned to southwest Missouri, along with the remains of 28 other men killed in World War II, in 1948. His funeral was held at the Alma Lohmeyer Chapel (now the Herman H. Lohmeyer Funeral Home) on Nov. 30, 1948, according to a story published in the News-Leader on the same day. He is buried at the Springfield National Cemetery.

In addition to Brandon, the 15 other men on the flight were Joseph A. Doyle, Nolan P. Ducote, Alex F. Hatton, Jack F. Grant, George R. Sands, Solomon Wallach, Ralph J. Vick, Harold J. Downey, Anthony Noto, Harry A. Thienes, Joe Michalinos, Billy J. Thompson, George M. Deutsch, Wayne E. Newton and Raymond A. Boggess, according to a document provided by Carroll.

Returning the dog tags

The main reason the Brevettis wished to get in contact with Brandon's living relatives was to transfer his dog tag to them. On the conference call last week, Raimondo said he would also give Carroll and his family the metal plate from the airplane.

"It's funny, I always thought that I would take maybe my kids to Italy and we would retrace this because I had always heard about him (Brandon)," Carroll said on the call. "I always thought that would be kind of a peaceful pilgrimage to take my daughters there. And you made the trip for me, (Raimondo). Thank you. You brought it all to Missouri."

As for the three pins, Jeanette said she hopes to get in contact with any living relatives of the men they belonged to. If she can't manage that, the Brevettis will donate them to a military museum.

While mailing the dog tag and metal plate to Carroll was initially discussed, by the end of the conference call, Carroll and the Brevettis decided they would like to meet up, in-person, for the transfer of artifacts.

"I like that idea ... of meeting, and I think that's the least we can do to make the story circle complete," Carroll said on the call.

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While the details still need to be ironed out, it appeared likely that Carroll may visit the Brevettis in New York sometime in the spring.

"I would definitely like to give you all a hug," Carroll said to the Brevettis.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield family reconnects with loved one's dog tag 78 years later