WWII veteran’s remains are being returned to Weymouth

A World War II veteran’s remains are being returned to Weymouth after 81 years, Weymouth police announced.

Private Alfred Thomas Langevin enlisted into the war in 1942, when his daughter, Mary, was a toddler, according to his obituary.

In late 1944, Langevin was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, and was reported missing during “an intense period of combat” in Germany’s Hürtgen Forest on Nov. 6, 1944, the announcement says.

The Battle of Hürtgen Forest was fought from September to December that year, aiming to gain control of key land to prevent German counterattacks. The battle was one of the longest and bloodiest battles involving the U.S. military in World War II, with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides, according to the announcement.

The circumstances of Langevin’s disappearance and death are unknown, according to Weymouth police.

In May 1946, the American Graves Registration Command recovered remains in the area of the battle, known as X-2756, and they were declared unidentifiable three years later, the announcement states.

In June 2021, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed the remains from Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium.

The remains were identified as Langevin’s through anthropological analysis, circumstantial evidence, and mitochondrial and autosomal DNA analysis, the announcement states. The DNA match occurred on July 30, 2025, with the help of the DNA of Langevin’s nephew, Patrick Thompson, of Pennsylvania, the obituary states.

Now that Langevin’s remains have been identified, a rosette will be placed beside his name at the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery in Margarten, Netherlands, according to the announcement.

“No service member is left behind,” said George Pontes, director of Weymouth Veterans Services. “The Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission went to great lengths to ensure Private Langevin came home.”

“Private Alfred Langevin’s return reminds us that the passage of time never diminishes the debt of gratitude we owe to those who gave their lives for our freedom,” said Weymouth Mayor Michael Molisse. “I’m happy to welcome him home with all of the honor and dignity his sacrifice deserves.”

Langevin’s remains will arrive at Logan Airport via an American Airlines flight on Saturday around 6 a.m., before receiving a dignified transport back home to Weymouth, according to the schedule of events.

Public viewing will take place on Sunday from 12 to 3 p.m. at Weymouth Town Hall for those who wish to pay their respects.

Weymouth residents are encouraged to line the path of Langevin’s funeral procession and wave flags provided by McDonald Keohane Funeral Home.

The procession will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday and pass through Weymouth’s Jackson Square, where Langevin was born and raised, before his burial with full military honors at Fairmount Cemetery at 11 a.m.

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