The homecoming for Army Pfc. William "Sonny" Simon, who was killed in action during World War II, comes more than four months after his remains were finally accounted for overseas after extensive testing.
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MADISON, Wis. -- After nearly 80 years, the remains of a Wisconsin soldier killed during Wor…
MIDDLETON, Wis. -- A Wisconsin soldier who died during World War II is finally back home.
The homecoming for Army Pfc. William "Sonny" Simon comes more than four months after his remains were finally accounted for overseas after extensive testing.
Simon was born and raised in Middleton before going on to serve in the U.S. Army during the height of World War II. He was reported as killed in action in November 1944. He was just 20 years old.
On Friday night, he got the hero's welcome home he never received.
His siblings wanted the convoy carrying his remains home to be escorted by Middleton police past his childhood home on their way to the funeral home, ahead of services that will be held next week.
A decades-long wait for his family and the veteran community is now over.
MIDDLTEON, Wis. -- A Wisconsin solider who was killed during World War II will be buried in …
"It was a very exciting piece of news. It really felt like a long-lost brother was coming home," VFW Post 8216 Commander John Bechtol said. "We've never met him, yet I think Sonny represents, really, the best of what it is to be a young American. (He) enlisted at 19 years old, he had a duty to his country, and he took that on and ended up paying the ultimate sacrifice."
"I think we want Sonny to know that it was worth it and that we didn't forget him," Bechtol said.
Sonny's name has hung at the VFW since 1946. Now, on Tuesday, he will finally arrive at his resting place.
​COPYRIGHT 2023 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
