Gilbert Myers

MYERS, 2nd Lt. Gilbert Haldeen February 10, 1916 July 10, 1943 This tribute to Gilbert Myers and to the organization DPAA (Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency) that found, recovered and identified him is written based on stories passed down through his family, letters he wrote to his brother Paul and sister Betty and articles that appeared in the St Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) plus the detailed historical records researched by DPAA. Gilbert was born to Victor and Alta (Householder) Myers on Feb. 10, 1916 in Pittsburgh, PA. Victor worked in the steel mills and by 1927, Gilbert was the oldest of six children. Following the stock market crash of 1929, Victor lost both his job at the mill and the two houses they owned. Eventually, Gilbert and Paul had to quit school to help support the family. Victor, Alta and their three youngest children moved to St. Petersburg, FL, in 1936 for work opportunities. Gilbert soon joined them and worked driving a truck for Smith Service Co. Gilbert registered for the service in 1940 and left for Camp Blanding, FL, on December 2, 1941 (five days prior to Pearl Harbor). After basic training, Gilbert passed the tests for flight cadet school. The night before he left for Maxwell Field, he wrote: "Have a long road to travel and hope I don't have to rest. Don't worry, Hitler will someday know I'm up there, even if I have to leave a calling card. I might not come back, but there's going to be hell raised till then." He received his pre-flight training at Maxwell Field, Montgomery, AL, primary at Avon Park, FL, basic at Shaw Field, Sumter, SC and advanced at Turner Field, Albany, GA. where he graduated as a lieutenant on January 14, 1943. For the next three months, Gilbert flew training missions around the Southeast. He sent postcards from New Orleans and did a long flight from Savannah to Jacksonville and on to Tampa one day. He had time to call his sister Betty and do a fly over of his parent's house, flashing his lights a few times, during this trip. He writes about continually being asked to train other pilots but says he only wanted to go and join the fight overseas. Gilbert received his orders to the North Africa War Theater and left Greenville, SC, on April 14, 1943. An article in the SP Times recaps some of his adventures in getting to Africa, based on a June 4, 1943 letter to his parents. "I can say now that I flew to South America and across the Atlantic to Africa. It was quite the trip, very enjoyable but dull. Here in Africa, it's so damn dusty in some parts. I flew over the Sahara desert but could only see parts of it the way the dust and sand blew. I've lost Eulie (his plane) and have another one now. She was a beauty while she lasted and came through wonderfully. I still have the same crew, and best of all, every one is safe and sound. I sure would appreciate a good bed to sleep in and a bowl of your chili right now plus a cold glass of beer." The following information was provided to our family by DPAA. In the summer of 1943, Myers was assigned to the 381st Bombardment Squadron, 310th Bombardment Group, in the Mediterranean Theater. On July 10, while serving as a co-pilot of a B-25 Mitchell, Myers' aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire while conducting a bombing mission over Sicily. Myers's remains were not recovered, and he was subsequently declared missing in action. In late 1944, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) researchers discovered that Italian residents of Sciacca, found a body belonging to the B-25 pilot at a crash site. AGRS investigators at the time indicated that they found some remains of the wreckage but did not locate any additional losses. Later in 1947, investigators conducted search and recovery operations near Sciacca, but were unable to locate anything linking back to Myers. In 2021 and 2022, DPAA and partner organization personnel from the Cranfield University Recovery and Identification of Conflict Team returned to Sciacca. There they were able to recover additional plane wreckage pieces, as well as human remains from the crash site. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory for examination and identification. To identify Myers's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Gilbert will be buried on Nov 10, 2023, at Memorial Park Cemetery, 5750 49th St N, St Petersburg, FL, in a full military ceremony that is open to the public. We are greatly indebted to DPAA for their commitment to bringing Gilbert home. We are honoring him with burial near his brother Paul and family. Gilbert is predeceased by his parents and siblings plus his nieces, Betty Winterbottom and Wanda Stinnett and his nephews, Bill Corey, David Stinnett and Lonnie Cagle Sr. He is survived by nephews, Jack, Bob and Jim Corey and Joe Fletcher and nieces, Linda Howell and Lavenia Housley, plus many great-nephews and nieces and their families. Gilbert is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy, and on the Memorial for Those Who Made The Supreme Sacrifice In World War II in Williams Park, St. Petersburg. The family would like to give special thanks to William "Shorty" Cox, Senior Mortuary Affairs Specialist, Ft. Knox, KY and Master Sergeant Rory Kamenicky, Casualty Affairs, for their assistance in arranging Gilbert's funeral and returning him to St. Petersburg with great respect in a ceremony at Tampa International Airport on Friday, November 3. We would also like to thank Memorial Park for their guidance and help with all the arrangements.