Description
2nd Lt. Avery M. Gilliland arrived at Los Angeles International Airport and will be laid to rest next week on American soil. Honoring Our Fallen was humbled and honored to serve the Gilliland family and stand beside them as they received their loved one home.
Avery entered the service from California and served as a co-pilot with the 828th Bombardment Squadron, 485th Bombardment Group (Heavy). On December 26, 1944, on his very first bombing mission, his B-24J Liberator (serial number 42-50486) and its crew of nine were sent to strike the oil refinery at Blechhammer, Germany. Over the target, the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire, broke in two, and crashed near the village of Korzonek, Poland. Crews flying alongside saw no parachutes. All nine men were lost.
For decades, Avery's name rested on the Tablets of the Missing at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Hombourg, Belgium. Then, between 2021 and 2025, partner teams working with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency excavated the crash site and recovered remains, aircraft wreckage, and an identification tag bearing his name. On June 25, 2026, DPAA scientists confirmed his identity using modern forensic techniques.
Avery was the first child of Avery and Alma Gilliland. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 20, 1941, and was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart. He was preceded in death by his younger brother, Ralph, who was killed in action in Sicily in 1943 while serving with the 504th Infantry Regiment. Avery was survived by his parents, three sisters, and a brother. Two sons of one family gave everything for our freedom.
Our deepest thanks to Southwest Airlines, the Los Angeles Airport Police, the Los Angeles Fire Department, the USO, the Patriot Guard Riders, the honor guard, Inglewood Mortuary, and everyone who came out to stand for this hero as he made his final journey home.
Welcome home, Lieutenant. Your mission is complete. Rest easy, sir. 🙏
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