‘We can’t leave anybody behind;’ Area WWII veteran laid to rest 80 years later

The remains of a Darke County World War II veteran finally returned home.

It took 80 years for the US Navy Coxswain Harley Alexander’s family to get some closure.

In June 1944 the ship he was stationed on was attacked and he was determined to be non-recoverable and unaccounted for.

“Family is important to me and I can’t imagine what they went through,” Ira Skeeby with Rolling Thunder Ohio said.

Rolling Thunder is a motorcycle group that works to raise awareness for prisoners of war and those missing in action.

Skeeby’s jacket is full of dog tags.

“Each one of these dog tags is a service member we brought home,” Skeeby said.

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He carries each of them as a reminder of the soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

“We can’t forget and we can’t leave anybody behind,” he said.

As they drive from Dayton International Airport to Greenville where Coxswain Alexander will be laid to rest, Skeeby said he hopes this brings closure to the family.

Closure after 80 years of not knowing where their loved one was.

“Just take a moment to think about what would happen if your family member was just suddenly missing,” Skeeby said.

They are just one example of the more than 80,000 other American service members still missing in action.

More information about Alexander can be found here .