Press Release | Jan. 28, 2025

Airman Accounted For From World War II (Buttala, J.)

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Justice J. Buttala, 24, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Jan. 14, 2025.

In the spring of 1945, Buttala served as an observer aboard a B-29 “Superfortress” bomber assigned to 28th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, 20th Air Force. On April 24, during a combat mission to Japan, the aircraft was shot down over Tachikawa, on the western outskirts of Tokyo. Buttala survived the crash but was held as a prisoner of war. He perished in the Tokyo Military Prison during a fire on May 26, 1945.

This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Buttala’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.