Final resting place: Tuskegee Airman from Charlotte, missing in action, comes home
Second Lt. Fred Lorenzo Brewer Jr. is home — at last.
He was found missing in action in 1944 during World War II, and declared dead in 1945 at age 23. His body had been buried in Italy.
On Wednesday, he reached his final destination at the Salisbury National Cemetery Annex, in Salisbury.
A caisson carried Brewer’s remains the final half-mile in the expansive cemetery, along a winding road and up the hill to a site where final tributes and speeches were made. They included a meticulously folded military flag, three bullet casings that represented duty, honor and country, and a flag that had flown over this N.C. state capital to honor his memory.
A 1960s version of Sam Cooke singing “When I’ve Gone The Last Mile of the Way” played in the background.
One anonymous veteran said “They’re bringing our brother home.”
And at the end of the ceremony, one of his cousins, Brenda Brewer, thanked everyone.
“He’s had three other funerals, but this is the first one in America,” she said. “And this will be the last.”
Many in the crowed cheered.
Brewer’s life coursed through segregation-era Second Ward High School in Charlotte, Shaw University in Raleigh, Tuskegee University in Alabama, and as a World War II pilot and mission in Italy. Second Ward was Charlotte’s first Black public school. It opened in 1923; Brewer graduated in 1938.
There also was the 79 years he was missing.
In Oct. 29 1944, he left as part of a group from the American Air Base at Ramitelli, Italy. He was flying a plane named “Travelin’ Lite.” Brewer never returned. Through the efforts of Brewer family members and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the remains of the war hero were found and identified on Aug 10.
It all culminated with a funeral at Charlotte’s Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and final rites at the military cemetery.
A few hundred people gathered at the church Wednesday to celebrate Brewer. The crowed included a host of veterans and family for a repatriation service. Brewer was a member of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. Bright red coats dotted the sanctuary crowd reflecting members of the Tuskegee Airman Organization, which is over 1,000 strong nationwide.
A few dozen people had direct ties to Tuskegee University. The majority of the crowd stood when veterans were asked to stand.
The eulogy was delivered by church pastor Rev. Clifford Jones, who focused on how Brewer became an American hero and soared high to become a pilot in a segregated America.
“He rose above a segregated society. What an example,” Jones said. “He could have stopped at Shaw, but there was a higher calling. He wanted to make the world better for others. He died early to make the world better for others, regardless of the color of his skin.
“He gave profitable service to others who devalued him because of the color of his skin. He didn’t have to give it, but he gave it,” Jones told attendees.
The entrance of the Beatties Ford Road church was adorned with U.S. flags. As Brewer’s remains were taken out of the church, a soloist sang “May the Work I’ve Done Speak For Me.”
Closure at the cemetery came when five military officers fired rifles three times. Then an officer 20 feet away from the riflemen played “Taps.”
It signaled final rest at last for Lt. Brewer.
This story was originally published December 6, 2023 at 2:41 PM.
