RAMONA, Calif. — On July 18, William Lester Leukering will finally be laid to rest in his hometown of Metropolis, IL.
Exactly 80 years ago on that day, 28-year-old Leukering was on an Air Force plane shot down over Germany during World War II. He was declared dead the next day and his body was deemed unrecoverable seven years later.
His nephew, Kevin Skahan, grew up in Ramona. The Department of Defense used Skahan's DNA to identify his uncle's remains. Leukering was officially accounted for by the DPAA on March 20, 2023.
Skahan was told his uncle died when the plane exploded mid-flight. He was in a B-17G Flying Fortress.
"I thought the plane blew up in the air, so I couldn't imagine, you know?" Skahan said.
Then in 2012, a crash site was discovered just south of Memmingen, Germany.
"Turned out that his plane was crash landed by the pilot who stayed on board because he knew my uncle and another air crew member were injured in the back, and I guess my uncle was trying to help the other guy get a parachute on, and and I guess they probably didn't make it through the crash landing," Skahan said.
Skahan spent his life honoring his uncle by having Leukering's squadron logo customized on his motorcycle and a mural of a B-17 in his bedroom.
"It looks like it's flying right into my bedroom every morning when I wake up, its pretty cool," Skahan said.
Skahan and his family will travel to Metropolis, IL to lay his uncle to rest at a family farm and cemetery. People from across the country are gathering for the service.
I don't really know that many stories about them from back then," Skahan said. "A whole group of people have been emailing me and telling me things, and it's pretty amazing, so I can't wait to get back there to visit with everybody."
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