This Father's Day we remember Lt. William Q.
Punnell, a World War II pilot whose plane was shot down near the Republic of Palau in 1944. Punnell was looking forward to becoming a father; his son, William, was born four months after his death.
While Punnell's son did not live to see the repatriation of his father's remains, but the impact on the WWII pilot's surviving family is evident.
Lt. Punnell
was buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery this spring. His surviving relatives, Dennis Kelvie (nephew) and Bill (grand nephew), attended the funeral.
“It was just totally amazing. I tend to be a little bit stoic. But when I got home, the tears flowed and they have several times, many times.” Dennis said.
