2 Lt. Milton Hymes

The City of Savannah welcomes the return of the remains of 2nd Lt. Milton Leonard Hymes, Jr., who died during a bombing mission in World War II. He will be interred with full military honors on July 18th, 2025, at 10:00am next to his parents in Section P of Bonaventure Cemetery. Graveside services will be conducted by Gamble Funeral Service with Rabbi Robert Haas of Congregation Mickve Israel officiating.

Approval has been given by his family to allow the public and media to attend. Those wishing to pay their respects may welcome the procession led by the Patriot Guard Riders as they enter the Jewish gate of Bonaventure and travel down Sheftall Way at approximately 9:30am. There will be limited space for non-family guests closer to the gravesite, and all guests must maintain a quiet and respectful demeanor during the service.

A native of Savannah, Georgia, Milton Hymes joined the U.S. Army Air Forces and served as a navigator with the 389th Bombardment Group, 565th Bombardment Squadron of the Eighth Air Force. During a bombing run in June of 1944, his B-24J "Liberator" bomber collided with another B-24 and crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark.

The 22-year-old airman was entombed at his crash site until archaeologists recovered his remains during underwater excavations between 2022 and 2024. Researchers from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System were able to use dental records as well as DNA analysis to accurately identify Hymes' remains.

Please contact the City of Savannah Cemeteries Division at 912-651-6843 with any questions.