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First Lieutenant, Ottaway Bethard  Cornwell's remains, which until recently were buried in an unmarked grave in the  American cemetery in Draguignan,  France, have been identified and are being returned to the United States of America to be put to rest with full military honors in the  Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Texas on September 23, 2022. As a result of many months of collective efforts by the American, French, and German governments and most significantly the initial findings and dedicated efforts of one young French chef, Steve Leleu, this remarkable story comes to its rightful ending with the return of First Lt. Cornwell's remains to this final resting place.

Ottaway Bethard Cornwell was born in Beaumont, Texas, on March 19, 1921, to parents, Samuel Monroe and Lucy Mae (Miles) Cornwell. He was the third born of six children. His family moved from the Beaumont area to Houston, Texas where he grew up and attended Aldine High School.  He married Doris Evelyn Royer, of Houston, now deceased, only four days before enlisting as a pilot in the Army Air Force and later departing for combat duty in WWII. First LT. Cornwell, a member of the 12th Airforce, 52nd Fighter Group, 4th Fighter Squadron, when flying a Spitfire JK-948 on a reconnaissance mission over Southern France on January 27, 1944, was fatally shot down in an aerial dogfight with German pilots near Pierrefeu-du-Var, France. His unidentified remains were buried by the Germans initially at a cemetery in Toulon,  France and later transferred by the Americans, first to a cemetery in Luynes, France and then to Draguignan where they remained until the incredible discovery of Cornwell's crash site by the young Frenchman, Steve Leleu, and the remarkable events which unfolded thereafter. First Lt. Cornwell's remains, now having been positively identified, are being returned to lay to rest in America, his country of origin and the symbol of freedom and liberty for which Cornwell gave his life to preserve.

First Lieutenant Cornwell received the following "Commendations" for his military service with the United States Army Air Corps:

World War II Victory Medal, Air Medal Purple Heart, United States Aviator Badge Army, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, Army Good Conduct Medal, European African Middle Eastern Campaign

Ottaway Cornwell has been succeeded in death since his passing by his parents, Samuel Monroe Cornwell, deceased February 10, 1954, and mother, Lucy Mae Cornwell, deceased August 26, 1967, his wife, Doris Evelyn Royer Cornwell, deceased August 30, 2016, his eldest sister, Melba Mae Cornwell Smith Hamilton, and brothers, Woodrow Monroe Cornwell, Wendell L. Cornwell, and Samuel James Cornwell, as well as several nephews. He is survived today by his youngest sister, Joyce Lynn Cornwell Bratcher of Weatherford, Texas and several nieces and nephews.

On behalf of Ottaway Cornwell's  family members, both surviving today and those deceased since his life was lost in combat, we would like to extend our deepest and most sincere appreciation to the United States Army and other American authorities as well as those within the French and German governments and associated French patriots who have supported and facilitated this unbelievable undertaking to identify and return Ottaway Cornwell to his final resting place in America from his unmarked grave in France. We are also grateful to those in France who erected a monument at Pierrefeu-du-Var honoring and commemorating First Lt. Cornwell and the other American pilots who lost their lives that day in January fighting for the liberation of France from the tyrannical occupation of the German Nazis. Most significantly though, we thank Mr. Steve Leleu, the young French Chef, without whose efforts none of this would have occurred. It was not only his fortuitous discovery of the crash site but his diligence, extensive research, and unyielding passion to prosecute his finding to a conclusive ending that allows us to recognize and honor First Lieutenant Ottaway Cornwell this September 23, 2022.

There will be a funeral Service at Klein Funeral Home-Champions, 16131 Champion Forest Drive, Klein, Texas, 77379, on Friday, September 23, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.  followed by a graveside service scheduled to commence at 12:30 p.m. at the Houston National Cemetery, located at 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive in Houston, Texas. A reception for family members, invited guests and various supporters who have generously and graciously contributed to this ceremony and commemorating event will be held at a private hanger at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport following the graveside service.