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"I have a friend who
told me, don't think of this as a sad thing, don't grieve because this
is a joyful thing," says Swilling.
Now at 74-years-old,
Tulie Swilling was just a girl when her father, Berthold Chastain went
missing in action during the Second World War.
"It's a lot of mixed
emotions," says Swilling.
In 1943 Chastain's
family learned his plane was shot down, but they didn't know where.
After a year, the Army Air Corp staff sergeant was declared dead. But to
Swilling, it never felt real.
"All of these years
there's always that thing in the back of your mind, he might be
somewhere alive, he might but living somewhere," says Swilling.
It's been an emotional
ride for Swilling since her father's remains were finally identified a
little over a year ago in the Philippines. That's when she learned his
Liberator B-24 plane went down in New Guinea.
"They actually located
him and identified him through DNA through his brother," says Jim Clark,
relative.
Which brings us to
today. With friends and family members gathered around, Chastain's
remains were escorted to Cleveland by a more than 100 patriot riders.
"I saw more patriotism
than I've seen in a long time," says Swilling.
It's with a mixture of
joy and sadness that Swilling watched her father's remains finally
return home. One thing she does know, after 67 years of questions, she
finally has closure.
"Yes, there's closure
now, you know? He's at peace and you're at peace in a sense because you
know, after all of these years of wondering and wondering, now you
know," says Swilling.
Chastain's burial will
be Wednesday afternoon in Birchwood.
The cemetery is only two
miles from Swilling's home, because she says after all these years she
wanted him nearby.
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