In July 2012 a detachment from JPAC (Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command) assembled in a German forest to begin excavation work toward identification of remains of Sergeant Charles Marshall and Sergeant Jerome Kiger. The crash site, identified by German citizen Markus Mooser, was located southwest of Munich. During their excavation the team recovered human remains and those remains were sent to Hawaii for identification. Relatives from the families supplied DNA samples which aided in the identification process. A few months later, the families were notified that their loved ones would be returning home.
On a bright, beautiful Wednesday, June 5, 2013, the Marshall family traveled to the Cincinnati airport to participate in a ceremony to receive Bob’s remains and take him home to Martin Kentucky after 69 years. Representatives of the US Army arrived early that morning at Dr. Robert Marshall’s home to escort the family, along with a representative from Hall Funeral Home, to the Northern Kentucky International Airport. The remains were brought from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware with a full military escort aboard on a commercial Delta flight. The passengers in the plane were notified and in a show of respect stayed aboard the plane as the ceremony commenced. After the Bob’s family had assembled on the tarmac, a sharp detail of soldiers in full dress approached the plane to bear the remains of their fallen hero. The flag draped coffin was carried to the hearse for the trip home. As the motorcade neared Prestonsburg members of the Prestonsburg Police Department and Fire Department as well as the Patriot Guard Riders joined in the motorcade and ushered Bob’s remains safely back home in Martin Kentucky. Bob was home at last on June 5, 2013.
The funeral was conducted on June, 8 2013 at Hall Funeral Home in Martin Kentucky with burial that followed at Davidson Memorial Gardens. Fire departments from Betsy Layne and Prestonsburg formed an arch with their ladder trucks and suspended a large American flag over the entrance to the cemetery. Hundreds of cars, trucks and motorcycles lined US Highway 23 as the motorcade approached the cemetery. A full military service was held and at the completion of ceremonies a lone trumpeter sounding “Taps”. It was an emotional ceremony and I left the cemetery that day filled with American pride. I could not imagine how these remains could be found in a German forest after 69 years and be brought home!
This could be the end of the story, but it isn’t. On July 21, 2013, the remains of Sergeant Jerome Kiger were laid to rest in Mannington West Virginia. The date is significant as the date that their Liberator B24 bomber had been shot down over Germany in 1944. Markus Mooser made arrangements to travel to the United States to attend Sergeant Kiger’s funeral service. So Dixie and Robert, as well as other members of the family, drove to Mannington to attend the funeral. The family felt is was important to attend but it also gave them an opportunity to meet Markus and to personally thank him for his unbelievable hard work and dedication to see his hunch in a forest come full circle to completion and closure.
Through my research into this story I have spoken with Markus through Facebook, emails and videos. Markus is an amazing man and I have been blessed to meet him, even if it is a virtual meeting. I was blessed to visit Dixie at her home in Martin as well as Doc Marshall at his home in Allen. Their story is an amazing story and every hand who played a role deserves to feel pride in the job they have done. Our veteran’s all have stories to tell, unfortunately many will not speak about their experiences. If you have a family member who has a story to tell, contact me on Facebook.
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