Army, Air Force honor WWII pilot at burial
Dec 14, 2013, 1:20 AM
DENVER (AP) – A World War II pilot killed during a reconnaissance mission in Germany has been laid to rest in Denver.
Army Air Forces Capt. Franklin B. Tostevin, of Westfield, N.J., was buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery on Friday after a service with full military honors.
Air Force jets flew in a missing man formation. Tostevin’s nephew, who lives in Erie, Colo., was given the flag draped over his casket.
Tostevin was shot down on March 20, 1945, two days shy of his 23rd birthday, while piloting a converted P-51 Mustang over Cologne. Nephew Daniel Tostevin says it was his 159th mission and he had previously photographed German defenses in Normandy, France, prior to D-Day.
Tostevin’s remains were recovered in 2008. DNA testing only recently confirmed his identity.
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