December 1st 2023.
The remains of Fred Brewer Jr., a Tuskegee Airman who went missing almost 80 years ago, will finally be laid to rest in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina on Dec. 6. After decades of unanswered questions, the mystery of what had happened to Brewer has been solved. Tests revealed that his plane went into a tailspin while he was attempting to exit a thick patch of fog. His remains were found in Florence, Italy and identified in early 2023.
The visitation will be held at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church at 10:30 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. and burial at the VA Salisbury National Cemetery outside of Charlotte. For his family, this brings closure to his name and legacy. “This has been my life’s mission,” said one of Brewer's family members, Brenda. “He is no longer X-125, who came up out of that grave in Florence, Italy. He is Fred Brewer, Second Lieutenant.”
The news of Brewer's remains being found also excited World War II veteran Andrew Pendleton, who never had the honour of meeting Brewer but will never forget how the Red Tail airmen protected his crew. “We were two fellows doing our jobs, helping each other. But we never met,” Pendleton said.
With the help of a friend, Laura Stotts, Pendleton was able to find logs from the war that showed he was on a mission on the same day, in the same region and exact same target, where Lt. Brewer crashed. Despite his mind not being what it used to, the veteran still remembers the events as if it was yesterday.
Brewer's funeral is a special moment in history, bringing together two brave men who never had the chance to meet but who did so much for their country.
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