Everett Police and Fire escort World War II hero home

By Tara Vocino

The city of Everett, along with the Everett Police and Fire Departments and community members, welcomed home the late US Army S/SGT Loring E. Lord, 29, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country during World War II in Europe. S/SGT Lord’s remains were transported to Everett for a full military burial at Woodlawn Cemetery on Saturday, June 7th.

Somerville resident Staff Sergeant Lord served proudly in the U.S. Army Air Force with the 642nd Bombardment squadron, 409th Group, 9th Div. Air Force. The accounting agency (DPAA) reported that S/SGT Lord and two of his fellow crew members were killed when antiaircraft fire hit the aircraft during a mission on March 21, 1945.

The Human Graves Registration Command sent an investigation recovery team to the area in 1949; they met with the former police chief at Gross Reden, Germany. He had witnessed the plane go down and ordered the remains buried at the local cemetery. The remains had been exhumed and transferred to the U.S. Military cemetery in Margraten, Holland. Those remains were identified as the two crew members from S/SGT Lord’s Aircraft.

In 2018 and 2019, a DPAA recovery team excavated the crash site and found identification media and possible human remains, which were transferred to DPAA Lab at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska for testing, determining DNA samples to S/SGT Lord.