ST. MARYS, Ohio (WLIO) – On Monday night, the St. Marys City Council passed a resolution supporting efforts to find and bring home the remains of 1st Lt. Gene Alton Dennis.
The Veterans Foundation and Museum of St. Marys, along with several other local organizations, launched a petition urging the federal government to take action for an honorable return of his remains. Dennis graduated from St. Marys Memorial High School in 1944 and from West Point in 1950. He served with the U.S. Air Force’s 474th Fighter Bomber Group and the 428th Fighter Bombardment Squadron.
On Sept. 28, 1952, Dennis was flying near Pyongyang, North Korea, when he was shot down. His body has never been identified, but one of his family members has submitted a DNA sample in hopes of finally bringing him back to St. Marys.
“I’m a vet. The museum supports veterans. It's just the right thing to do. This community has gotten behind the veteran community, the veterans, the units that were here- it's just very important that we all come together and try to bring him home,” says Preston Keith, Vice President, The Veterans Foundation & Museum of St. Marys.
To sign the petition, Keith said to contact the Veterans Museum in St. Marys. The goal is to reach 10,000 signatures.
