WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Fatur, 19, of Slickville, Pennsylvania, killed during World War II, was accounted for on July 9, 2025.
Fatur's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
During World War II, Fatur was assigned to 429th Bombardment Squadron, 2nd Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force. Fatur served as the tailgunner aboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress” bomber. On March 22, 1945, during a bombing mission near the village of Glinica, Poland, Fatur’s aircraft crashed. Seven of the ten crewmembers, including Fatur, were killed. His remains were not accounted for after the war.
Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command searched for and disinterred the remains of U.S. servicemen in Europe as part of the global effort to identify and return fallen servicemen for honored burials. However, the AGRC investigations in the Soviet occupied zone of Europe, including Poland, were severely limited
Between 2019 and 2024, DPAA partnered with Alta Archaeological Consulting to plan and conduct five excavations at the site where Fatur’s aircraft crashed. During the excavations, teams led by Alta recovered possible remains, which were transferred to the DPAA Laboratory for scientific analysis.
To identify Fatur’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial, Y-chromosome, and autosomal DNA analysis.
Fatur’s name is recorded in the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Fatur will be buried in Delmont, Pennsylvania, on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the U.S. Army Casualty office at (800) 892-2490.
For additional information on the War Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving their country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, https://www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaa, https://www.instagram.com/dodpaa/, or https://x.com/dodpaa.
Fatur’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XfO0EAK.