‘Maintain hope.’
That was Russellville Mayor David Grissom’s message to families who have loved ones unaccounted for as a result of military service representing the United States.
Grissom’s message of hope comes from personal experience, as the body of his great, great uncle, Private First Class Noah Reeves, was returned to his native Lawrence County last week, more than 79 years after he died serving his country in World War II.
Reeves was laid to rest in Moulton Memory Gardens Tuesday afternoon after a full military funeral, and a procession from Birmingham to Moulton that saw flag-waving citizens standing alongside Highway 157.
There were too many law enforcement and first responder vehicles to count taking part in the procession, including the Russellville Fire Department and the Russellville Police Department.
It was a fitting hero’s welcome for a man whose whereabouts were unknown until September 2023.
What was known, until recently, by Reeves’ family was that he died of after being shot in the head during a December 4, 1944, battle in Vossenack Germany. Facing overwhelming numbers, his platoon was forced to retreat without being able to recover their fallen comrade.
Four years later, in Germany’s Hurtgen Forest, where the battle had taken place that claimed Reeves’ life, a man’s remains were found and authorities buried the unidentified body in the Ardennes American Cemetery in 1949.
Reeves’ body was exhumed in 2022. Six years earlier, officials from the U.S. Army contacted Reeves’ niece, Carrie Grissom, seeking DNA samples from both his paternal and maternal descendants to keep on file and use for testing to try and identify Reeves.
Once DNA confirmed Reeves’ identity, plans were made to return his body back to his hometown. After 79 years, Reeves received the dignified military funeral he deserved. Rep. Jamie Kiel introduced a resolution in the Alabama Legislature formally commending Reeves on service to his country.
Reeves was born in 1917 and enlisted in the Army on October 19, 1942.
“Today provided great closure for the family,” David Grissom said. “We want to thank the No Man Left Behind program in the United States Army and everything they’ve done to make this happen.
“And to those families who still have loved ones missing, please maintain hope,” he added.
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