BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport community gathered to honor and welcome home U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Walter Bateman on Friday evening, a Maryland native and American aviator killed during World War II.
Bateman piloted a B-24D Liberator bomber that was shot down Aug. 16, 1943, during a bombing mission against enemy airfields at Foggia, Italy.
Bateman was 22, and there were no survivors among the 10 crew members.
The U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified his remains earlier this year.
He will be laid to rest Sept. 6 at the Union Chapel United Methodist Church cemetery in Joppa, Md.
Airport officials thanked those who came together to honor Bateman, including the U.S. Army, Southwest Airlines, BWI Airport Professional Firefighters – IAFF Local 1742, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Maryland Transportation Authority Police, and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
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