ARLINGTON, Va. (Nov. 04, 2022) — The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) announces U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Moses F. Tate, who was killed in World War II, has been accounted for nearly 80 years after his death.

His remains, previously interred among other unknown service members at ABMC’s Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chappelle American Cemetery in Belgium, were laid to rest in Springfield, Missouri, on Oct. 27.

In the summer of 1943, Tate was serving as a gunner on a B-24 Liberator bomber when it was struck by enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, a strategic bombing mission targeting Romanian oil fields. His remains were not identified following the crash, and were subsequently buried along with other unknown service members in a Romanian cemetery.

After the war, all American remains were disinterred from the cemetery and permanently interred at the two ABMC cemeteries in Belgium.

In 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) began to exhume unknown remains believed to be associated with those unaccounted for from Operation Tidal Wave. Through anthropological and dental analysis, along with other evidence, DPAA officially accounted for Tate’s remains on July 12, 2022.

A native of Seneca, Kansas, Tate was 23 at the time of his death. He was assigned to the 415^th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98^th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9^th Air Force.

Tate’s name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery in Italy, along with more than 1,400 others who are still missing from World War II. ABMC has placed a bronze rosette beside his name, indicating he has now been accounted for.

For more information on Tate, visit the DPAA website.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to stay connected.