Clifford Chastain, 92, right, waits near the hearse carrying his brother, World War II veteran Berthold Chastain, on Wednesday afternoon. Funeral services were held in Cleveland, followed by the burial in Birchwood, Tenn.CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Family members he never knew gathered Wednesday to say goodbye to Staff Sgt. Berthold A. Chastain.
Chastain was a tail gunner on a B-24 bomber nicknamed the “Shack Rat” that crashed in New Guinea on Oct. 27, 1943, during World War II. His family was notified late last year that his remains had been found on the South Pacific island.
They were returned to his relatives over the weekend, and Wednesday’s service culminated a chapter of family history that had been nearly 70 years in the making.
Chastain’s daughter, Tulie Mae Chastain Swilling, was a small child when her father died at age 27. She sat at the front of the funeral home chapel Wednesday, talking to family members, strangers and veterans who felt they should be there.
“All I knew him from was the old photo that’s in the [funeral] bulletin and hung on the wall in our living room,” said Allen Swilling, Chastain’s grandson.
Swilling eulogized his grandfather as a young man who defended America’s ideals.
“Happy birthday, grandpa, and welcome home,” Swilling said.
Chastain was born in Whitfield County, Ga., on Feb. 2, 1916. He grew up there and had Cherokee ancestors. Another grandson, Steve Swilling, in a tribute to Chastain and to his heritage, sang “Guide Me Jehovah” in Cherokee.
Pastor Dale Tennell told about Chastain’s life, saying he was one of five brothers, four of whom served in World War II. Chastain was the only one not to return, although his brothers were wounded and one was a prisoner of war.
The family was raised in poverty by their mother, whose husband was killed in an accident when the children were young.
“His life continues to speak meaningful things to us today,” Tennell said.
As people filed out of the funeral home after the service, a low-flying B-52 bomber roared overhead in a fly-by tribute.
Veterans stood at attention, holding a banner they first displayed when the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment deployed for Iraq several years ago.
Law enforcement vehicles and dozens of motorcycles ridden by Tennessee Patriot Guard members led the procession to McInturff Cemetery near Birchwood, Tenn., in Meigs County.
Firetrucks parked along 25th Street in Cleveland extended their ladders to arch overhead and display a giant American flag as the procession passed underneath.
Hundreds of Cleveland Middle School students waving American flags lined Georgetown Road as the procession passed them.
Winter wind fluttered American flags as a U.S. Army honor guard lifted the casket from the hearse and carried it to Chastain’s final resting place.
“It is a victory that someone has been found and returned home,” said Gene Dasher, a Vietnam War veteran. About 1,700 Americans still are missing in Vietnam, according to the miafacts.org website.
The public reaction to Chastain and his family shows “people really care, no matter how long they’ve been gone,” said Vietnam veteran D.L. Wilson.
“Being here today is the least we can do.”