Missing Rhode Island World War II pilot identified decades later

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — More than eight decades after he was declared missing in action, a Rhode Island World War II pilot has finally been identified and accounted for by federal officials.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that the remains of U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Robert J. Barrat, a native of Woonsocket, were officially identified earlier this year. Barrat was just 20 years old when his aircraft went down during combat operations in Europe near the end of World War II.

Barrat was flying a B-17 bomber in April 1945 as part of a mission targeting an oil facility in Germany. According to military records, his aircraft collided with another bomber while traveling in formation. The plane crashed shortly afterward, killing most of the crew onboard.

In the years following the war, recovery teams searched the crash area and buried unidentified American servicemen in a military cemetery overseas. While several crew members were eventually identified, some remains could not be conclusively matched at the time.

Investigators reopened the case decades later after new evidence connected to the crash site surfaced in Germany. Items recovered from the area, along with advancements in forensic science and DNA testing, helped experts confirm Barrat’s identity.

Military officials said Barrat’s family has now been informed, bringing long-awaited answers to relatives after more than 80 years. He will be laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on May 27.