Missing WW2 pilot found

syscom3 · 10-11-2005, 07:34 PM

Saw this on yahoo news:

"BOSTON - An Army airman who was missing for 58 years was laid to rest Tuesday in his hometown of Haverhill, Mass., six years after the wreckage of his plane was found in the mountains of Panama."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051012/...missing_airman

We often forget that the canal zone was an operational area because of the submarine threat.

Nonskimmer · 10-11-2005, 07:38 PM

Well I'll be damned. I hope he can finally rest in peace.

trackend · 10-12-2005, 12:50 AM

The words of Mr Adams from that link ring true it was nice to see these fellas have decent funerals too many poor sods just disappeared from the face of the planet.

kiwimac · 10-12-2005, 04:38 AM

Yeah,

Heres to all US / UK / Luftwaffe / Russian / Japanese et al, Military & Civilian who simply 'disappeared' and whose resting places are known to God alone.

May the Wise Lord grant them rest eternal

Rev. Dr. Ray McIntyre

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 10-12-2005, 05:58 AM

My they never be forgotten.

Gnomey · 10-12-2005, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerAdlerIstGelandet

My they never be forgotten.

Let us hope so.

evangilder · 10-12-2005, 08:23 AM

I am glad that there are still people out there that are willing to get the boys back home.

Udet · 10-12-2005, 12:36 PM

Since we have here a few who served in the military of their nations here goes a question that might appear foolish:

If I recall correctly, there is a tradition in some nations to keep soldiers, airmen or navy personnel who simply dissapeared during WWII still posted as Missing in Action.

Although there is a possibility a number of them did not die immediately in the day of their dissapearance, we could agree that after 60 years of the termination of WWII, the most likely of the scenarios for all those MIA´s is that they died, even if the exact dates of their deaths is known but to god.

Is this actually a tradition?
I recall a man saying once to me in London, "to us they are still on mission".

Are they expecting to locate their remains to then proceed to erase their names from the MIA lists?

How is it that this works exactly?

FLYBOYJ · 10-12-2005, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Udet

Since we have here a few who served in the military of their nations here goes a question that might appear foolish:

If I recall correctly, there is a tradition in some nations to keep soldiers, airmen or navy personnel who simply dissapeared during WWII still posted as Missing in Action.

Although there is a possibility a number of them did not die immediately in the day of their dissapearance, we could agree that after 60 years of the termination of WWII, the most likely of the scenarios for all those MIA´s is that they died, even if the exact dates of their deaths is known but to god.

Is this actually a tradition?
I recall a man saying once to me in London, "to us they are still on mission".

Are they expecting to locate their remains to then proceed to erase their names from the MIA lists?

How is it that this works exactly?

That is true - as far as I know an individual is considered MIA until their remains are found. That doesn't mean their families won't get survivor's benifits, although it's assumed they are dead, but they are still considered MIA.

I had a high school girfriend who's uncle was MIA over Ploesti - her mom told me that witnesses saw him bail out of his aircraft but his remains were never recovered....

syscom3 · 10-12-2005, 01:06 PM

I think that a couple of years after the end of the war, there was a catagory for "MIA-presumed dead"

Udet · 10-12-2005, 01:22 PM

FLYBOY:

Thanks for the response.

I had perceived this process of keeping MIA lists of men who served in WWII more as an oneiric approach, deeply emotive, rather than just the mere bureaucratic work of updating and adjusting lists of dissapeared men.

The words of that man "to us they are still on mission", a veteran of the war himself, had an impact in my mind; this happened some 12 years ago, when I was 9. The view that crossed my mind back then -must admit it´s the view still prevailing- is that of the pilot still out there somewhere on mission. Still flying his fighter defying the horizon.

While timeless tic tic ineluctably makes us grow old, he remains young in that realm.

Yes, even when that young pilot took off 60, 61 or 63 years ago.

FLYBOYJ · 10-12-2005, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Udet

FLYBOY:

Thanks for the response.

I had perceived this process of keeping MIA lists of men who served in WWII more as an oneiric approach, deeply emotive, rather than just the mere bureaucratic work of updating and adjusting lists of dissapeared men.

Exactly!

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 10-13-2005, 04:50 AM

Yes they are still considered MIA and they can put a presumed dead tag on them. They still do this today. They can also change the status to MIA at any given time. CPT Speicher who was shot down in the 1st Gulf War was listed as KIA even though is remains were never recovered. In 2003 they changed his status to MIA.

trackend · 10-13-2005, 07:04 AM

Something that always impressed my old man was the respect the US showed to it's dead.
The British tended to dig a hole (or a big hole) bung em in, take the ID,
and mark the site.

P38 Pilot · 10-13-2005, 09:23 PM

Thats all? Thats pretty sad even after the man died fighting....