- Philip Thibodeau
- 2 days ago
On March 22, 1945, Technical Sergeant Donald A. Dorman and eight fellow crew members listened as the engine of their B-17G ‘Flying Fortress’ bomber slowly cranked to life. Their aircraft was about to embark on a long and dangerous journey that would take it from an airfield in Italy over an oil refinery in southeast Germany where they were to drop their payload.
Dorman would never see the airbase again, nor his hometown of Southington. As it neared its target, the B-17 was attacked and struck by German fighter planes. Two crew members parachuted to safety and were taken prisoner; Dorman and six others went down with the plane, which crashed in a field in southwestern Poland.
Dorman's family was notified, his name was placed on the rolls of the honored dead, but his body was never recovered. That situation changed last summer. A team of archaeologists and forensic experts from Alta Archaeological Consulting were digging at the site of the crash, which had been identified several years earlier. Along with pieces of the bomber, they identified a small set of human remains. The remains were carefully preserved and sent to a lab associated with the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Last September 19, the Agency announced that with the help of DNA sequencing the remains of Sergeant Dorman had been identified.
Rachal Wache, the chair of Southington’s Veterans Committee, heard the news from a woman who is a cousin of Dorman. For her it was a deeply moving revelation, because it meant that at long last Dorman, whose name is listed on the town of Southington’s WWII memorial, would finally be buried at home.
Plans for Dorman’s burial and belated homecoming have now been finalized, with four events scheduled for June 22 and 23. Dorman’s cousin and several members of his extended family are expected to be in attendance. That said, all four events are open to the public; according to Wache, members of the community are welcome to join in celebrating Dorman’s life and honoring his sacrifice: “whether you just come to one, or all four, everyone is welcome.”
Monday, June 22
Wake
Plantsville Funeral Home, 975 South Main Street
5-7pm
Tuesday, June 23
Memorial Service
1st Congregational Church, 37 Main Street
10 am
Burial with Military Honors
Oak Hill Cemetery, 95 Flanders Street
11am
Celebration of Life
Elks Lodge #1669, 114 Main Street
Noon
