Shot Down Over Germany, Proctor War Hero Comes Home 81 Years Later
He was part of a nine-man crew aboard a B-24H Liberator, flying a bombing mission against German forces near Boussicourt, France.
Staff Sgt. Shostak, a 24-year-old U.S. Army Air Forces crewmember from Proctor, was killed during World War II, his fate unknown for nearly 80 years. On September 19, 2023, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that Shostak had been identified, giving his family answers and a chance to bring him home.
It was August 18, 1944, and Shostak was serving with the 860th Bombardment Squadron, 493rd Bombardment Group, in Europe. He was part of a nine-man crew aboard a B-24H Liberator, flying a bombing mission against German forces near Boussicourt, France. After the raid, anti-aircraft fire hit the plane, sending it crashing two kilometers west of the village. Only one crew member survived. German records show that local villagers recovered remains from the wreckage and buried them in a nearby cemetery.
After the war, in 1945, the American Graves Registration Command dug up remains from the cemetery in Pierrepont-sur-Avre, France. They identified six of the eight crew members, but Shostak and one other remained a mystery. His family back in Proctor held onto hope, while his name was carved on the Tablets of the Missing at Ardennes American Cemetery in Neupré, Belgium.
Decades passed, but the search for Shostak didn’t end. In 2018, DPAA investigators traveled to a field near Boussicourt, believed to be the crash site. They sifted through the earth, finding fragments of the Liberator and possible human remains. These, along with unidentified remains from the 1945 recovery, were sent to the DPAA laboratory. Scientists used anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA testing, conducted by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, to confirm that the remains belonged to Shostak.
When the news reached his family, they gathered for a briefing, learning how science and dedication had brought Felix back to them. In June 2025, Shostak’s funeral is , Saturday June 14, 2025 at the St. Bridget’s Church in West Rutland, where his community will honor the sacrifice he made 81 years ago. At Ardennes, a rosette will be placed next to his name, a quiet sign that he’s no longer missing.