PART 1 of 2.
PART 2 will be posted when details become available.
NOTE: This mission includes aircraft arrival. Flight times are subject to last minute changes so please check this thread for any changes before leaving for this mission.The Patriot Guard Riders have been invited to accompany LT David P. Skjeie, 22, from the airport to the funeral home in preparation to be laid to rest. It will our honor to accompany this repatriated WWII hero from the Greatest Generation.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. David P. Skjeie, 22, of Los Angeles, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 21, 2023.
In early 1944, Skjeie was assigned to the 703rd Bombardment Squadron, 445th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On Feb 24, Skjeie, the pilot onboard a B-24J “Liberator”, was killed in action when his plane was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. One of the surviving crewmembers reported seeing the plane on fire and in a steep dive, before eventually exploding on the ground. While two crewmembers survived, the others, including Skjeie, were killed in the incident. German forces garrisoned in the area documented the crash site north of Leimbach Bahnhof, near Bad Salzungen, Germany. After the crash, German troops recovered the remains of the ball turret gunner and buried them in a local cemetery. The other six crewmembers, including Skjeie, were unaccounted for following the war.
In March 1952, the American Graves Registration Command, the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, took custody of comingled unidentified remains recovered from Bad Salzungen Cemetery. These remains, X-9093 Griesheim Mausoleum (X-9093), X-9094 Griesheim Mausoleum (X-9094), and X-9095 Griesheim Mausoleum (X-9095), were believed to be those belonging to 1st Lt. Skjeie’s downed aircraft. At the time, identification of these remains was not possible, and they were interred in the Ardennes America Cemetery, Belgium.
In June 2021, DPAA historians and American Battle Monuments Commission personnel, exhumed X-9093, X-9094, and X-9095 from Ardennes American Cemetery and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for analysis and identification.
To identify Skjeie’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Skjeie’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Hombourg, Belgium, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
NOTE: This mission posting is to facilitate your voluntary participation in honoring this military veteran. For those interested, and all PGR members are welcome, we will be accompanying the hero and his family from the mortuary to the cemetery, approximately 38 miles. Please see the timetable if you would like to participate. For those who would rather go directly to the cemetery, we will meet you there.
TIMETABLE FOR FRIDAY, 01 AUGUST 20251600: - Stage @ Carl's Jr., 5625 W. Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA.
https://goo.gl/maps/59qpQRWL6N3aMWUS61630: Mission briefing.
1700: Move to arrival location.
1730: Plane arrival.
1800: KSU Glen Haven Memorial Park, 13017 North Lopez Canyon Rd, Sylmar, CA. (approx. 38 miles)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/VGVAJvg3wh2GeRhP81900: ETA to Glen Haven Memorial Park. Dignified transfer of hero from the coach to the building.
Dave Eng
SoCal PGR Ride Captain
Daveeng19@yahoo.com
(805) 208-1206You do not have to be a veteran or a motorcycle rider to attend this mission. All PGR members are welcome. We encourage those who do not ride to attend in your car. If this will be your first mission go to the initial staging area and you will be briefed there by the Ride Captain (RC). Dress for motorcycle riding or dress casually if you are driving a cage (car). Please ride/drive safely.
