A World War II soldier was finally brought back home to Colorado 80 years after he was killed in combat overseas.
Staff Sgt. Harold Schafer was buried at Denvers’ Fort Logan National Cemetery Monday morning with a full military honors service — complete with bagpipes and a 21-gun salute — after he was killed while fighting in Germany in 1944. He was 28 years old.
The young soldier joined the Army in 1943 and was shipped to Europe the following year as part of the 90th Infantry Division. His unit crossed the Saar River on Dec. 6, 1944, and attempted to capture and hold the towns of Pachten and Dillingen, Germany, according to the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Staff Sgt. Harold Schafer was buried at Denvers’ Fort Logan National Cemetery Monday morning with a full after he was killed while fighting in Germany in 1944. DPAA
Four days later, Schafer was “mortally wounded” by machine gun fire. His fellow servicemen were unable to recover his body and those of other fallen soldiers before relocating to a safe area, according to the agency.
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After the war, the American Graves Registration Command conducted several investigations in the Pachten-Dillingen area from 1946 to 1950, recovering and identifying bodies of servicemen from Schater’s division who had been buried at a civilian cemetery in Reimsbach, Germany.
But they were unable to match the young Denver soldier with a body and his remains wouldn’t be identified until many years later on Sept. 26, 2023, the agency reported.
Schafer was reportedly killed in a foxhole while trying to help a fellow soldier, CBS News reported.
Schafer was finally brought back home to Colorado 80 years after he was killed in combat overseas. CBS NewsMonday’s service brought his family both relief and peace as they finally got to honor her uncle and lay him to rest. CBS NewsAfter the war, the American Graves Registration Command conducted several investigations in the Pachten-Dillingen area from 1946 to 1950, recovering and identifying bodies of servicemen from Schater’s division who had been buried at a civilian cemetery in Reimsbach, Germany. DPAA
“It was just heartbreaking, especially to my grandma,” Barb Bernhard, Schafer’s niece, told the news station of his death. “My grandma was never the same.”
The family’s pain was only exacerbated by the reality that they never got to bury Schafer’s body.
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The identification so many years later was a welcome surprise.
“I was just so happy and amazed,” Bernhardt said to CBS.
She said Monday’s service brought her family both relief and peace as they finally got to honor her uncle and lay him to rest.
“Grandma, we got him home. He’s home. It’s all you ever wanted was to have him home,” Bernhardt said.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded for Colorado Rockies pitcher Jalen Beeks.
The Pirates traded Double-A pitcher Luis Peralta to the Rockies for Beeks, a left-handed relief pitcher, the team announced. MLB insider Mark Feinsand first reported the news.
The 31-year-old Beeks has been a bullpen arm for the Rockies this season. In 49 1/3 innings, Beeks has a 4.74 ERA, nine saves and five holds. He has a 1.36 WHIP in 45 appearances and will add depth to the Pirates’ bullpen.
He started 15 games in 2022 and 2023 with the Tampa Bay Rays but has not recorded a start in 2024.
Beeks was a 12th-round pick in the 2014 draft by the Boston Red Sox. He signed a one-year deal before the season with the Rockies.
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According to Baseball America, Peralta was Pittsburgh’s No. 24 prospect. He started the year unranked, Baseball America said.
Earlier on Monday, the Pirates traded pitcher Quinn Priester to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for infield prospect Nick Yorke.
Michael Guise
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Michael Guise is a web producer for CBS Pittsburgh who has worked for KDKA-TV since 2019.
Some residents in Loveland, Colorado, received a mandatory evacuation order from NOCO Alert, the city’s emergency notification system, on Monday afternoon after a wildfire ignited in Larimer County.
The Alexander Mountain Fire is estimated to be around 800 acres according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. Flames were being fought by Larimer County Emergency Services, Loveland Fire Rescue Authority and several partner agencies. The alert system said that mandatory evacuations were in place from Drake to Dam Store along Highway 34 including Storm Mountain and Palisade Mountain.
Voluntary evacuations were in place for Waltonia Road, Eden Valley to Sunrise Ranch, and Sylvan Dale to Ellis Ranch. Residents were urged to gather essential items and prepare to leave.
This is a developing story and it will be updated as more information becomes available.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A motorcyclist was killed while attempting stunts in a northeastern Colorado Springs parking lot on Saturday, July 27, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD).
CSPD responded to the crash in the Floor and Decor parking lot near Woodmen and I-25 around 10 p.m. on Saturday after receiving reports of a motorcycle crash. When officials arrived on scene, they determined the rider was deceased.
In a preliminary investigation, CSPD determined that the rider lost control while attempting a stunt in the parking lot and struck a concrete wall before ending up in a residential backyard.
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The rider has not yet been publicly identified.
Drugs and alcohol are not suspected to be factors in this crash.
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