66 years after crash, WWII pilot’s remains buried in Vermont with full military honors

WWII pilot’s remains buried in Vt.

ESSEX, Vt. — A World War II pilot has been laid to rest at a family plot in Vermont 66 years after his plane crashed in Corsica.

U.S. Army Air Force First Lt. Ray Fletcher, of Westborough, Mass., and four others were on a courier mission when their plane crashed into a mountain on May 10, 1944.

All five died, but their remains weren’t recovered until 2005.

A funeral for Fletcher was held Friday in Essex Junction, followed by a burial with full military honors.

Fletcher’s 90-year-old cousin Rhetta Fletcher, of Lanesborough, Mass., attended. She said Friday was a wonderful day that gives closure to Fletcher’s family.