By James Maloney
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PROCTOR, Vermont (WPTZ) — In 2023, a family mystery had been solved.
SSgt. Felix Shostak was labeled missing in action during the Second World War. He remained missing through the 21st century, but an investigation by family members and the military has finally brought him home.
On Saturday, a funeral service at Saint Bridget’s Church in West Rutland and a burial at Saint Dominic’s Cemetery in Proctor gave him and his family closure after years without answers.
According to Felix’s niece Carol Shostak, Felix was born in the town of Proctor in 1919. He attended Proctor High School and later enrolled in a culinary school in Maine. After that, he worked for a restaurant in Rutland. In 1942, he felt a calling to join the war effort for his country; his brother Charles was in the military at the time.
“As he told my father, and he was my hero for that reason, he said, ‘How can I allow my brothers to go to the front lines to be killed, while I hide in the kitchen?’” Alan Cardinale, Felix’s eldest nephew, said during a eulogy.
Felix, or ‘Phil’ as family members call him, became an airman and was a turret gunner for a bomber. In 1944, he and his crew were assigned a mission flying over German-occupied France. Their plane was shot down and crashed. Felix died at the age of 24 along with seven others.
“During the ceremony, my grandmother, I remember she never accepted the fact that Phil [Felix] was dead,” Phillip Cardinale said. “Because he was still missing 20 years later. And I was thinking, I wish she was here, and I wish Charles was still here.”
In 2008, the first traces of Felix since his death were discovered in northern France by residents. His dog tags and class ring were turned over to the military, which were later given to the family.
“It was just a surprise,” Carol said. “I thought that they may have stopped, you know, looking after 2008.”
Felix’s remains were excavated in 2018, and five years later, DNA testing confirmed that they were his.
While the surviving family members did not know Felix, they said his service and memory passed down will always live on.
“Although I did not know him, I learned to love him,” Alan said near the end of his speech. “Thank you, Felix. We love you.”
The U.S. Defense Department says more than 80,000 American service members remain missing from conflicts. Nearly half can possibly be recovered. Investigators said they won’t stop until they are all found again and brought home.
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Burial for WWII veteran happens in Vermont 81 years after his death News Channel 3-12.
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