BOUNTIFUL, Utah — When you come to a place like the Bountiful City Cemetery, visitors experience all kinds of emotions, including sadness, closure and grief. On Tuesday, the most prominent emotion was pride.
Any time a soldier who was killed in action comes home, it has a way of uniting people.
Lt. George "Frankie" Wilson, Jr. was a B-17 pilot in World War II when his Flying Fortress was shot down over France in 1944. Wilson stayed with his plane, allowing his crew to escape.
"Frankie gave him his parachute and told him to get out, saved his life, and then he set the plane down. That story will always resonate with me the rest of my life," shared Wilson's grandson, Brian, at his grandfather's burial on Tuesday, the anniversary of his death.
Brian learned in 2018 that Frankie's plane had finally been found, and his remains were officially accounted for in November. Now, seven years later, his hero has come home.
"It's great to know there are still miracles out there," said Brian.
Lt. Wilson's burial had full honors, including flyovers from fellow pilots, F-35s, and Apache helicopters that created a missing man formation over the cemetery.
"81 years to the day, it's just a miracle that we're standing here, laying him to rest next to his family," shared Brian.
Peggy Rawlins didn't know Wilson, but she knew his journey.
"All of the sacrifices that was done to find him, to bring him home, and to bury him," she said.
As Taps played after nearly a century lost, Lt. George "Frankie" Wilson is back in his hometown, honored by family and those who never knew him.
"People have fought and died for those freedoms, and we're here just to help with that," said Clint Jones.
Wilson has also been reunited with those who ached for answers.
"Just a lot of pride," explained Brian about how he felt. "I feel that he's here and there's closure. I feel like he's very happy right now."
