After 81 Years, Teen Sailor Lost in D-Day Invasion Finally Returns Home

In 1944, a young Scranton sailor died on D-Day. His remains were found and interred with his parents after 80 years, providing his family closure.

Second-Class Seaman The USS Glennon, a destroyer guarding Allied forces during the Normandy invasion, killed 18-year-old Jerome Martin Mullaney. His parents grudgingly signed him into the Navy Reserve at 17. Like many young men of his time, Jerome was inspired by his brothers who were already in the war and felt a duty to fight freedom with them.

His duty ended tragically. After two days of storming Normandy, the USS Glennon hit a mine off France on June 8, 1944. Jerome was hurled into the sea by the blast. Battle and enemy attacks killed him, leaving his family unable to bury or grieve.

That July, his Newark, New Jersey, parents learned of his tragic death. Navy officials knocked, and his mother slumped in grief, frightened about her boys fighting overseas. Jerome’s parents never forgot his sacrifice. His mother mourned the son who had assured her he would be safe on a Jersey Shore cruise. His father wore a memorial pin daily.

Military records and family memories of Jerome lasted decades. His brothers went home after the war and lived well, but they missed him. His niece, Mary Louise Brambilla, never met her uncle but heard about the family’s pain and closure.

Family didn’t know Jerome’s remains were found. Salvage workers provided American officials Glennon remains in 1957 after German fire destroyed it. With limited technology, identification was impossible. The young sailor was buried in Belgium’s Ardennes American Cemetery, far from Scranton.

Advances in forensic science and DNA testing provided answers. In 2022, the remains were excavated for testing. Family DNA helped the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency find Jerome in March 2025. His relatives were heartbroken by his short life and the decades he missed, but pleased he would be buried where he belonged.

On September 3, Jerome Martin Mullaney and his parents will be buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Scranton with military honors. His family, military leaders, and local dignitaries will attend the service. Flag officer for the ceremony is Naval District Washington commandant Rear Admiral David Faehnle.

Posthumously, Jerome won the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and World War II Victory Medal for his bravery and sacrifice. His story celebrates World War II death of young men and women and is now family history.

This return ends his family’s painful wait, especially his niece and her husband. They may be sure Jerome will be alongside his parents, honored in his community, and remembered where his sacrifice began after 80 years.

Sources:
U.S. Navy Archives
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
National WWII Museum