Bernard J. Sweeney Jr.

After more than seven decades of being classified as Missing in Action (MIA), the remains of US Army Sergeant Bernard J. Sweeney, Jr. will finally receive a dignified and honorable funeral service. The Alexander-Rothwell Funeral Home, in collaboration with various organizations and community members, is proud to announce the funeral service for this long-lost hero.

Sergeant Bernard J. Sweeney, Jr., aged 22, who entered the military in New York City on November 27, 1942, served valiantly in Company I, 330th Infantry Regiment, 83d Infantry Division during the Second World War. He was reported missing as of December 16, 1944, near Strass, Germany, during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. His remains were not recovered or identified following the war, leaving him an unknown soldier for many years.

In April 1950, unidentified remains numbered as X-2752 were interred in Ardennes American Cemetery in Neuville, Belgium. These remains were recovered from a minefield north of Kleinhau, Germany. Thanks to exhaustive efforts by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and the American Battle Monuments Commission, X-2752 was exhumed in April 2019 and designated as CIL 2019-174. Through historical research and comprehensive laboratory analysis, the DPAA has now confirmed that these remains belong to Sergeant Bernard J. Sweeney Jr., service number 32645733.

Sergeant Sweeney, who had no immediate family or next of kin remaining, will be laid to rest with full military honors at Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton, New York, the nearest National Cemetery to his hometown.

The funeral procession will commence at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, starting from the Alexander-Rothwell Funeral Home in Wading River, New York. A horse-drawn caisson will carry his remains to their final resting place, symbolizing a solemn tribute to a fallen hero. Warrior Ranch Foundation is honored to provide a quarter horse, to serve as the riderless horse in the procession.

Veterans, Fire Departments, Police Departments, U.S. Federal, State, and local government officials, along with community members, will line the streets to attend the funeral services and pay their respects to Sergeant Sweeney.

Please join us on October 10, 2023, as we come together to honor and remember the service and sacrifice of Sergeant Bernard J. Sweeney, Jr. Let us pay our respects to a hero who, after all these years, will finally receive the recognition he deserves.

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