WWII soldier from Bennington identified, laid to rest 80 years after death

BENNINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Army Air Force Private First Class Bernard Sweet, Bennington’s first casualty of World War II, was laid to rest Saturday at Park Lawn Cemetery — more than 80 years after his death. Sweet, a Bennington High School graduate, left to serve in 1939. Shirley McLenithan, Sweet’s niece, said the identification came as a shock. VFW Bennington Post 1332 Commander Norman LeBlanc was part of the dignified transfer, helping escort Sweet’s remains back to Vermont. LeBlanc said the burial fulfilled a wish Sweet’s mother had carried for decades.