Found Remains of WWII Vet to be Buried in California

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OAKLAND, Calif. A World War II airman whose remains were found more than 60 years after he was shot down over Germany will finally be laid to rest.

A burial with full military honors for Lt. William “Billy” Cook is set for Sunday at a cemetery in Oakland.

The 27-year-old airman and his five-man crew were on a Dec. 23, 1944, mission when they were shot down over Germany.

The crew and their bomber were not recovered until two years ago, when amateur historians found the crash site near the Germany-Belgium border.

An excavation of the site led to the identification of remains belonging to Cook.

He grew up in San Francisco and Alameda, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.

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