After 82 years, the remains of Staff Sergeant Nick Gavalas, a World War II airman from Birmingham, Alabama, will finally be laid to rest. Gavalas, who was 20 years old when he died, will be buried on Friday (October 23) at Alabama National Cemetery near Montevallo.
Gavalas served as an armorer-gunner with the 718th Bombardment Squadron, 449th Bombardment Group. On January 30, 1944, he was aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber during a mission to Udine, Italy. The aircraft was shot down over the Adriatic Sea near the Isle of Morgo, and Gavalas was among the crew members who did not survive. His remains went unidentified for decades.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Gavalas was officially accounted for on June 10, 2026. His identification was made possible through the efforts of recovery and identification teams.
Born on March 13, 1923, Gavalas was the son of George and Theodora Gavalas. He graduated from Ramsey High School in 1940 and worked for the George Gavalas Produce Company before joining the military. Gavalas was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart for his service.
His name had been memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery in Italy, honoring American service members whose remains were not recovered or identified. The Fold3 memorial notes that Gavalas's story is a testament to courage and duty, and his identification brings renewed recognition to his service and sacrifice.