History
WWII Army Air Forces radio operator laid to rest in Arkansas hometown
Stars and Stripes
June 15, 2023
An American flag is presented June 14, 2023, to Staff Sgt. Ralph D. Kolb’s nephew, Harold Kolb Jr., at a military funeral in McGehee, Ark. Kolb was killed Aug. 1, 1943, when his bomber was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed in Ploesti, Romania. (Cody Voye/U.S. Army)
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Ralph D. Kolb, 19, of McGehee, Ark., who was killed during World War II, has been laid to rest in his hometown.
Kolb was buried with full military honors at McGehee Cemetery in Southeastern Arkansas on Wednesday, nearly 80 years after his death.
Kolb was assigned to the 343rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force as a radio operator on a B-24 Liberator bomber. On Aug. 1, 1943, his bomber was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed in Ploesti, Romania. The remains of service members were buried in a local cemetery.
Kolb’s remains were accounted for on Sept. 14, 2022. As part of the identification process, scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Ralph D. Kolb, 19, of McGehee, Ark., killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 14, 2022. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)
For Staff Sgt. Kolb’s nephew, Harold Kolb Jr., it was welcomed news that his uncle was finally accounted for.
“It’s great to finally have him home where he belongs,” Harold Kolb Jr. said. At the funeral service, eight soldiers from 66th Forward Support Company, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment, 75th Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Sill, Okla., performed as pallbearers, rifle team, bugler and flag team.
Kolb’s awards included the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.
According to the DPAA, there are still over 81,000 American Soldiers missing in action from WWII and other conflicts, including three airmen from Kolb’s bomber.