Posted on 10/19/2005 6:30:47 PM PDT by SandRat
10/19/2005 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The remains of three U. S. servicemen, missing in action since 1941, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
They are Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Augustus J. Allen, of Myrtle Springs, Texas; Staff Sgt. James D. Cartwright, of Los Angeles, Calif.; and Cpl. Paul R. Stubbs, of Haverhill, Mass.
On June 8, 1941, the three men departed France Field, Panama, in an O-47A aircraft, en route to Rio Hato, Panama. When the aircraft failed to arrive, a search was initiated by both air and ground forces. They were not found.
In April 1999, a Panamanian man found the aircraft wreckage while hunting in the mountains of Panama Province and reported it to Panamanian Civil Aeronautics (PCA.
After a PCA search and rescue team visited the site, the wreckage was reported to the Joint Prisoner of War Accounting Command. Command specialists surveyed the area in August 1999 and, in February 2002, excavated the site. They recovered remains and crew-related artifacts.
The crash site was along Lieutenant Allen's suspected flight path, and the aircraft was consistent with O-47A aircraft from their unit, the 39th Observation Squadron. Additionally, the team recovered crew-related items at the site which helped confirm the identity of the Airmen.
Scientists from the command and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab used mitochondrial DNA as one of the tools to identify the remains.
Of the 88,000 Americans missing in action from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War and Desert Storm, 78,000 are from World War II.
For more information on the Department of Defense's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) Web site -- http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo -- or call (703) 699-1169.
ATTENTENTION! PRESENT ARMS!
bump
We Honour and Remember....
G-D Bless.
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
- General George S. Patton, Jr
That is an excellent Patton quote! Thank God for these men and all the brave like them who served/serve our country.
R.I.P. You brave airmen.
Wow, this is the day for WWII veterans. I never realized how many soldiers were missing from all these wars, especially WWII. Thanks to all these brave men and their families for the sacrifice they made. I really appreciate it. God Bless You All.
Thank you for your service to this great country. Rest in peace. Your duty is done.
USAF TSGT
Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and
don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried
out.
Ronald Reagan
World War II vets missing in action since June of 1941 . . . six months BEFORE Pearl Harbor?
Yes, we were involved in the war before Pearl Harbor, we just hadn't been directly attacked yet. We were flying war supplies "over the hump" in China, for example.
From http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/NAO-47.htm (Smithsonian)
In May 1935, General Aviation Manufacturing Corporation of Dundalk, Maryland, a subsidiary of North American Aviation, completed a new design called the GA-15, later designated the XO-47. (The "O" denoted observation. At this time, the U.S. Army Air Corps operated units, called observation squadrons, dedicated solely to reconnaissance missions.) The XO-47 was an all-metal, cantilevered monoplane, with hydraulically-actuated wing flaps and retractable landing gear. The design featured five water-tight compartments that were built into each wing panel. This design feature provided floatation capability in an emergency water landing. The XO-47 had a large cockpit, seating three crew in tandem. The front seat was the pilot's position, the center section was occupied by the copilot/radio operator/cameraman, and the rear area was the gunner's position, equipped with a .30-caliber machine gun. The center seat could be folded to permit the middle crewman to lower himself to a second seat below, giving him access to the camera bay with its wide observation window. In addition to its extensive reconnaissance capabilities, the O-47 was a rugged airplane, flew well, and was very fast for its day, with a maximum speed of 360 kph (225 mph).
Photo at site.
BTTT
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