Needham World War II Soldier Laid To Rest 76 Years After Death

NEEDHAM (CBS) – On Saturday, a funeral was held for World War II veteran and Needham native 1st Lieutenant Joseph Finneran at Saint Joseph Church. It was a hero's farewell 76 years in the making.

"Joe put all of his personal dreams aside and stepped forward and volunteered himself for service of his country and for the benefit of all of us," said friend Jeffrey Smith.

Finneran was shot down during a bombing mission over a Nazi oil field in Romania. He was only 22 years old. Last week, his remains were flown into Logan Airport. He had full military honors on his arrival."I'm just very happy," said Finneran's nephew William Glennon. "My mom is gone and her brothers are all gone. So, we are going to bury him next to his mother today."

Finneran's remains were identified through DNA 76 years after he died.

"Hs unidentified remains were resting in an American military cemetery for more than 70 years, and 11 years ago, I sent my DNA down. So, it's taken 11 years to get to this point," Glennon said.

Finneran enlisted in the Army 11 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

"He went off to war like many of our parents and died for our country. He's Needham's hero and America's best," said Needham resident Maureen Coughlin.

It was a true homecoming for Finneran. He was laid to rest in the same church in which he was baptized as an infant. The family said they thought it best to lay him to rest during Veterans Day weekend.

"It's a personal odyssey, and we wanted to do it this weekend to draw attention to all the veterans," Glennon said.