Remains Of Aggie Killed In WWII Recovered In Germany

The remains of an Aggie airman killed during World War II have been positively identified and buried in Arlington National Cemetery along with four other men from the B-17 bomber's crew.

According to KXAS Channel 5 in Dallas and the Air Force Times, DNA tests positively identified Staff Sgt. Bobby Younger '46 more than 70 years after his plane was shot down over Germany. 

Read the Star and Stripes story on Military.com

Read the KXAS story on NBCDFW.com

Read the Dallas Morning News story on DallasNews.com

The five men were members of a nine-man crew of the B-17 shot down near Barby, Germany, on Nov. 2, 1944. Three survived and were captured. One was killed and identified in 1945. Air Force Times reports the other five men's remains were discovered and recovered in 2014 and 2015. The Dallas Morning News reported the crash site was located in 2015, and a team of archaeologists excavated the wreckage. Stars and Stripes reports the men were determined to be "accounted for" as of August 2017.

They were laid to rest June 27 in Arlington National Cemetery. 

In Texas A&M's 1943 Long Horn yearbook, Younger, a McKinney High School graduate,  was listed as a private in Battery A field artillery. According to The Association of Former Students' database, he majored in chemical engineering but did not graduate before shipping out for the war. The database also indicates he was awarded a Purple Heart and an Air Medal with oak leaf cluster.

According to KXAS, Younger's sacrifice is honored in his hometown of McKinney: "His name is listed on the Wall of Honor at the Collin County Veterans Memorial Park, his portrait is among those in the Hall of Heroes at the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building and his personal belongings are on display at Chestnut Square Historic Village."

Aggie memorabilia and other belongings of Bobby Younger '46 are displayed in a historic McKinney home that belonged to his great-aunt and great-uncle. Photo courtesy of Chestnut Square Historic Village.

Bobby Younger had an older brother, John F. Younger, Sr. '37, who graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in chemical engineering. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army as a chemical warfare officer. He received the Bronze Star and was discharged in 1945 as a lieutenant colonel. After working and serving in executive positions in the oil and gas industry, he founded Airport 20 Corp., an oil and real estate firm for which he served as president.

John Younger also served as president of the board of directors of The Association of Former Students. During his tenure, the Century Club was established and Texas Aggie changed from a newspaper to a magazine format. He was also instrumental in bringing the Institute of Nautical Archaeology to Texas A&M University. In 1989, John Younger was named a Distinguished Alumnus, the university's highest honor. He passed away in 2005. 

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