World War II veteran receives proper burial more than 80 years after death
By Siafa Lewis
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BUCKS COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KYW) — On a sunny, brisk November morning, Election Day no less, First Lt. Gerald J. Melofchik completed a police-escorted trek to his final resting place in Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 81 years after he was killed in combat in World War II.
Melofchik was just 24 years old when the B-17 G Flying Fortress he was piloting was struck by anti-aircraft fire, collided with another plane and crashed near Néron, France, on Aug. 1, 1944.
Melofchik’s parents and his three siblings have all passed in the 81 years since his death, but on this Tuesday morning, many of the 18 nieces and nephews he never got to meet joined to celebrate his bravery, sacrifice and return home.
“We’re all sad that our parents weren’t alive to see it,” nephew Jeffrey Melofchik said. “But I think it’s great for the family now.”
In 2013, it was determined that a crash site in Néron, France, should be excavated. From 2021 to 2023, the site was excavated, and all human remains were recovered. After thorough DNA testing, on June 24, 2025, Melofchik was positively identified, and his family was notified.
“It was shocking,” Jeffrey Melofchik said. “We never thought that it would happen.”
“It was incredible walking into their home and seeing a binder with news clippings from years and years and years of things they have collected, just waiting to bring him home,” Capt. Rebecca Butler said.
State Sen. Frank Farry, who represents the 6th District, discovered upon reading Melofchik’s obituary that he requested his family members send him Hershey bars overseas.
“We were able to reach out to The Hershey Company, who have a very strong veterans workforce, and some of them actually drove out from Hershey today to be here,” Farry said. “They actually gave us a five-pound Hershey bar to give to his family, as well as bringing individual Hershey bars to be able to give to the veterans that were here and other family members.”
Eight decades after Melofchik left the United States to defend her honor and democracy, the nation has defended and honored his service.
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