He was missing in action for decades. Now, a north Texas veteran is finally accounted for.
Second Lieutenant David Lewis, of Dallas, was killed in enemy territory during World War II. For nearly 80 years, his remains were unidentified.
Vivian Dennis-Monzingo is Lt. Lewis’s closest living relative. She was five years old when he died. She said much of what she knows about her late cousin she learned from declassified documents provided by the U.S. Army.
At age 19, Lt. Lewis volunteered for the Army Air Forces. He deployed to Europe during World War II.
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On Aug. 1, 1943, four days before his 21 birthday, he paid the supreme sacrifice when he and nine other crew members were shot down during a large, low-altitude bombing mission on oil fields in Romania.
“It was called TIDAL WAVE and it was especially dangerous,” said Monzingo.
Lt. Lewis’ remains were not identified. He was buried as an unknown person in Romania.
After the war, he was disinterred by the American Graves Registration Command, the organization that recovers fallen American personnel.
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He was one of 80 unknowns laid to rest at American cemeteries in Belgium.
For decades, his family members sent letters to the military asking for updates.
“It was a very prominent discussion in my time,” said Monzingo. “Probably most people just thought it was gone forever.”
But technology has a way of speeding up time.
In 2017, 80% of Lt. Lewis's remains were exhumed in Belgium and brought to a lab in Nebraska for DNA testing where Monzingo says two maternal relatives were a match.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Lt. Lewis was accounted for on May 11, 2022.
“It was, I guess, elation somewhat, I was very happy. Then there's sadness because the ones that were so – like they're son - they're gone,” said Monzingo.
Monzingo said Lt. Lewis will be laid to rest alongside his mother and many relatives at Old Saltillo Cemetery in Hopkins County. The ceremony is planned for July 2023 during an annual Memorial Day celebration at the cemetery.
“Very meaningful. It really will be very meaningful,” she said.
She said she hopes the story gives hope to families of all veterans who remain unidentified.
