The Moreland brothers have been returned home.
Repatriation activities took place Saturday afternoon for brothers Sgt. Jay Moreland and Staff Sgt. William Moreland of Bushong, beginning with a ceremony and presentation from the Morelands’ youngest brother, Larry Moreland, inside Robert’s-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home. Following the presentation, the brothers received a formal escort from Emporia to Bushong, where they were laid to rest with full military honors.
Following the ceremony, Larry Moreland spoke with KVOE News and said it was important to him and his family to hold a funeral ceremony for his brothers.
Moreland noted that he was, to an extent, surprised by the ceremony’s size and turnout.
The Moreland Brothers enlisted in the US Army in February 1943 and, at their request, trained and deployed together as members of the 149th Engineer Combat Battalion. The brothers died on June 6th, 1944, during the invasion of Omaha Beach on D-Day when their landing craft struck an underwater German mine.
Jay Moreland was 21 and William 19 at the time of their deaths. Larry Moreland, who was only an infant at the time of his siblings’ passing, says their military careers were indicative of how “inseparable” his brothers were throughout their lives.
As mentioned, Saturday’s ceremony was a largely attended affair by both residents and veterans, including a half-dozen chapters of the American Legion Riders who helped provide the brothers’ escort, alongside local law enforcement. American Legion Post 5 member Clay Childs says this turnout symbolizes the unity and camaraderie amongst military personnel regardless of their branch of service.
Saturday’s ceremony was the second repatriation ceremony for a native of Bushong after Sgt. John Owen Herrick was laid to rest back in 2024. Herrick was also a member of the 149th Engineer Combat Battalion and died aboard the same craft as the Moreland brothers in 1944.
Click here for a YouTube Short recapping the Moreland Brothers’ repatriation.
Photos by Tagan Trahoon/KVOE News.
