In August 1943, Sgt. Paul F. Eshelman Jr., a 21-year-old United States Army Air Forces tech from the North Side, was the radio operator on board the B-24 Liberator bomber Tagalong.

The aircraft came under enemy fire and crashed during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries in Ploiesti, Romania. The Pittsburgh native was killed in action.

Following the war, his remains were not identified. Instead, they were buried in the hero section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery in Bolovan, Romania, according to a March 2024 news release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

But now, Eshelman’s remains have been accounted for. They were returned to Pittsburgh and buried at the Allegheny County Memorial Park Cemetery on Sunday.

The American

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