News-Info-Alerts

Re: Papua New Guinea Recovery Mission

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: August 11, 2003

"Crew sets out to recover World War II remains

Associated Press

An 11-member crew will travel to Papua New Guinea this coming week to recover the remains of nine American servicemen who were on a B-24 bomber that went down during World War II, officials said Friday.

The 35-day mission comes just three months after a helicopter carrying recovery experts on the same mission crashed off the coast of the island state.

In May a helicopter chartered by the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii (CILHI), based at Hickam Air Force Base, crashed, killing the craft's Australian pilot.

The passengers -- three lab personnel and a representative from the Papua New Guinea National Museum -- survived, but the recovery mission was suspended and officials recalled the 13-member team to Hawaii.

The new team, including two forensic anthropologists and an explosive ordnance disposal technician, will travel to the bomber's rain-forest excavation site at an elevation of 10,800 feet.

The site was discovered in the mountains near Yalumet Village in Morobe province during an investigation in April 2002.

Investigators from the Army lab visited the site in November and discovered human remains and personal effects, including identification tags, officials said.

The bomber is believed to be from the Army Air Corps' 43rd Bomb Group that left Dobodura, New Guinea, on a reconnaissance mission in 1943.

The remains will be returned to the Army lab at Hickam, where they will be examined by forensic experts for positive identification.

CILHI spokeswoman Ginger Couden estimates there are about 200 additional crash sites in Papua New Guinea from World War II.

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AND

"Forensics team returns to PNG
From correspondents in Honiara, Solomon Islands

US Army forensic team searching for the remains of lost World War II airmen will return to Papua New Guinea this week after three months' suspended operations following a fatal helicopter crash.
On May 9, an Australian pilot was killed and several US Army personnel injured when the helicopter taking them to the wreck of a B-24D Liberator bomber crashed into the sea just off the northern PNG coastline.

Villagers, who swam out and helped rescue the crash survivors, said two of the four passengers leapt from the helicopter just before it hit the water 150 metres offshore.

Melbourne-born helicopter pilot John Twitt, who was trapped in his harness, died underwater.

The crash prompted the US Army's Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI) to suspend its mission to recover the remains of the Liberator bomber, which went down in 1943 with nine servicemen on board.

Today, almost three months later, CILHI spokeswoman Ginger Couden announced the team would this week return to PNG to complete the mission.

"This is the same site a previous CILHI team attempted to excavate in May when operations were suspended after the helicopter contracted by CILHI crashed," Couden said.

The 11-member recovery team will include two medics, two forensic anthropologists, an explosive ordnance disposal technician, photographer and several mortuary affairs specialists.

CILHI located the World War II crash site in the mountains near Yalumet Village in Morobe Province during an investigation in April 2002.

The B-24 bomber and its crew are believed to have belonged to the 43rd Bomb Group, 63rd Bomb Squadron.

The aircraft left Dobodura, New Guinea on a armed reconnaissance mission flying over Kavieng, New Ireland when it disappeared on its return.

A pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, and five gunners were aboard when the aircraft crashed.

Couden said the 35-day deployment would be challenging for the team, which would operate out of base camps more than 3,300 metres above sea level.

Upon completion, the remains and personal effects found will be returned to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii where the world's largest team of forensic anthropologists will analyse the remains for identification potential.

CILHI was formed in 1973 to identify the remains of missing American soldiers in order to bring them home for burial.

Since then the laboratory has identified more than 1,120 service members. "