SALT LAKE CITY — The somber notes of “Danny Boy” rang out at the Salt Lake City Cemetery as Howard Allen Holding, a U.S. Navy World War II pilot, was at last laid to rest among his family and community on Friday.

Holding, along with other members of the VF-20 squadron aboard the USS Enterprise, took off for a dangerous mission over the Japanese-held island of Yap on Sept. 6, 1944. The goal: to destroy critical telephone and telegraph lines. Tragically, all three pilots lost their lives within seconds as their planes collided and were shot down due to unexpected heavy anti-aircraft fire.

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Brent Jacob, Howard’s nephew, recounted, “His body was not recovered. As she heard that news, (Howard’s mother) fainted, an

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