Courtesies of the Heart

On 11 September 1944, US Army Air Corps Lt William Lewis departed for a combat mission over Germany. Sometime during that mission, he vanished and was presumed dead. His disappearance remained a mystery for 58 years. Courtesies of the Heart is the story of the mission and the long search for Lt Lewis. Complete with personal letters, official correspondence and bureaucratic tangles, this is an intensely personal account of the grief of a young widow and the mother of the fallen airman. The modern search began in 2001, initiated by the daughter he saw only once before departing for combat. It reveals the details of an investigation that takes place in three countries, by different groups of people, all of which eventually lead to a successful recovery and the solution to the mystery that spanned six decades. It involves a confidential file recently discovered in the archives of a US military base in Germany, reports of the East German secret police, and the remarkable discovery of an old German man with a beautiful sense of honor. It details how the internet acted as a bridge and facilitator for the searchers as they attempted to piece the puzzle parts into a coherent whole. Finally, it is about the closure of a long-suffering daughter.