CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Sinton native Sergeant Herald "Ray" Boyd was shot down during an air attack in Germany during WWII.
Now, 77 years after he was classified as being killed in action, his remains will finally be returned to loved ones and laid to rest.
Boyd's next of kin, Larry Mayfield, said his first thought when he received the call about his uncle was one of surprise.
"That's all we ever knew of him, that was uncle Ray killed in the war," Mayfield said. "My mother and my grandmother never talked about him."
Until 2018, when Mayfield answered a call from Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
"We were off on vacation when they called me," Mayfield described, "first thing they asked me was if I was a nephew of Herald Ray Boyd. I said, 'Yeah.'"
Mayfield was then notified that they would be looking for his uncle.
"At that point in time, they thought they may have him, but they weren't for sure," Mayfield explained. "This was also the year that they actually went to Europe, dug him up, and brought him back to the United States."
The fallen hero and lost family member was finally found after so many years.
Now, funeral arrangements are being prepared and Mayfield has decided that he would like as many people as possible in the community to pay their respects for this fallen hero.
"I wasn't going to be this way at first, but I want everybody to be there that didn't know him or didn't know of him," Mayfield shared.
Boyd is also qualified for a flyover, which Mayfield hopes will come to fruition.
"He was considered an airman, even though he was just a gunner on an airplane, but he was an airman, so he is qualified for flyover," Mayfield added. "Just hoping that a lot of people show up for it."
Anyone interested in attending the funeral, September 12th, can reach out to Mayfield at larrymayfield1951@gmail.com for additional information about the service.
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