Space Force
Guardian escorts remains of WWII uncle after nearly 80 years: ‘A humbling and inspiring experience’
Stars and Stripes
June 22, 2025
2nd Lt. Katherine Hendl delivers remarks during the interment ceremony of her great-great-uncle, Staff Sgt. Loring E. Lord, at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett, Mass., June 7, 2025. (Courtesy Photo)
Just days after Memorial Day, a Space Force guardian escorted the remains of her great-great-uncle Staff Sgt. Loring E. Lord, a U.S. Army Air Forces gunner killed in action during World War II nearly 80 years after he was declared missing in action, according to a service news release.
Lord’s remains were returned to Boston on May 29, and his final interment with full military honors was held on June 7. 2nd Lt. Katherine Hendl accompanied him to his final resting place.
“Escorting him home was a humbling and inspiring experience,” said Hendl, who is stationed at Space Training and Readiness Command, Peterson Space Force Base, Colo. “The amount of care everyone put into making sure this hero was welcomed home with the highest honors was incredible. We had the support of police, firefighters, and citizens along the entire journey. … It made me reflect on the true meaning of his sacrifice and added even more weight to my own service.”
Staff Sgt. Loring E. Lord’s final interment with full military honors was held in Everett, Mass., June 7, 2025. (Courtesy Photo)
A U.S. military honor guard renders final honors during the interment ceremony for Staff Sgt. Loring E. Lord in Mass., June 7, 2025. (Courtesy Photo)
Southwest Airlines transported the remains of Staff Sergeant Loring Lord, who was killed in action in Germany during World War II, back home to Boston for burial after nearly 80 years. His great nephew Southwest Captain Chuck Axtell, an Air Force veteran, flew the aircraft. (Stephen M. Keller/Courtesy)
Southwest Airlines transported the remains of Staff Sergeant Loring Lord, who was killed in action in Germany during World War II, back home to Boston for burial after nearly 80 years. His great nephew Southwest Captain Chuck Axtell, an Air Force veteran, flew the aircraft. (Stephen M. Keller/Courtesy)
Southwest Airlines transported the remains of Staff Sergeant Loring Lord, who was killed in action in Germany during World War II, back home to Boston for burial after nearly 80 years. His great nephew Southwest Captain Chuck Axtell, an Air Force veteran, flew the aircraft. (Stephen M. Keller/Courtesy)
The 1945 mission Lord took part in was of a broader allied effort to disrupt German communication lines ahead of the planned Rhine River crossing, according to a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency historical analysis. Witness accounts documented in the Missing Air Crew Report describe intense, accurate flak over the target area. Lord’s A-26B Invader was hit directly and seen falling away from formation. No parachutes were observed.
Lord was listed as missing in action. His two fellow crew members’ remains were recovered and identified in 1947, but Lord’s remains were not. In 1949, the U.S. Army officially declared Lord as non-recoverable.
“My mother remembers her aunt going from hospital to hospital in Washington, D.C., hoping to find him,” said Amy Hendl, Katherine’s mother. They didn’t know if he was missing, captured or wounded. It was that desperate to find answers.”
Staff Sgt. Loring E. Lord appears with his fiancée in a photo taken some time before his final deployment to Europe. The exact date is unknown. Lord remained in close contact with his family and fiancée during the war, writing dozens of letters in the months leading up to his final mission. Loring would always sign his letters “Remember me to all.” (Courtesy Photo)
Staff Sgt. Loring E. Lord (front row, center) gathers with members of his aircrew while deployed to Europe during World War II. Lord flew more than 30 combat missions prior to his final sortie in March 1945. (Courtesy Photo)
Staff Sgt. Loring E. Lord paddles a canoe during a recreational outing, date unknown. This photo, preserved by his family, offers a glimpse in-to his life before his deployment and ultimate sacrifice during World War II. (Courtesy Photo)
In 2014, a German researcher contacted the DPAA with new information about a likely crash site near Gross Reken. Using wartime aerial imagery and local witness accounts, DPAA teams conducted excavations in 2018 and 2019. Among the findings were structural aircraft components, personal effects and a machine gun confirmed to match Lord’s aircraft. DNA analysis and forensic examination ultimately identified the remains as his. The identification was formally announced in 2024.
“I grew up hearing about Uncle Loring,” Amy Hendl said. “His picture was always on the shelf at my grandmother’s and great aunt’s home. The pain of not knowing, of having no closure, was something they both carried all their lives. Now, 80 years later, we finally have an answer. And we finally get to bring him home.”