Family hears how World War II airman died
By Dolly A. Butz Journal staff writer
The family of Staff Sgt. Walter Knudsen, a World War II B-24 gunnery instructor from Sioux City who was killed when his plane went down 61 years ago, finally learned on March 16 the official details of the crash.
On the morning of Oct. 9, 1944, Knudsen took off on his first training flight from Nadzab, New Guinea, along with a crew of eight, and never returned.
In February 2002, a New Guinea villager found Knudsen's lone dog tag, which was hidden in the dense tropical vegetation near the crash site in the mountains of Lae. The villager traveled the rugged mountain terrain and countryside, around 200 miles, to Port Moresby to return Knudsen's dog tag to the U.S. Embassy, which in turn contacted the U.S. Army. The lone dog tag led to the excavation of the plane in January 2003 and the identification of eight of the nine crew members' bodies in May 2005.
At the Park Rapids, Minn., home of Harold Knudsen, Walter's brother, military personnel from U.S. Army Casualty and Memorial Affairs presented the U.S. Army's final report and returned Walter's identification bracelet and dog tags to the family.
Harold 's daughter, Terri Knudsen, told about the final briefing in a telephone interview this week.
"It was so well done, so compassionate and so overwhelming," she said of the three-hour briefing which was conducted by Paul Bethke, a former commander of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office. Bethke was the first person from the military to view the crash site.
Using photos and maps, Terri said Bethke brought the scene to life.
Bethke told the family that Walter's plane headed nose first into a tri-canopy area of the mountainside 11 miles southwest of Lae because of the heavy cloud line enveloping the mountain.
The plane burst into flames upon impact. The fire may have reached temperatures of 800 degrees centigrade and much of the plane melted and turned into amalgam. However, the plane's four engines, wings, tail and a portion of the fuselage remained.
Although the plane landed in the middle of the search area, the wreckage was confined to a 680-square-foot area that was densely covered by jungle. The wreckage remained hidden until the villager stumbled upon Walter's dog tag, which led to the excavation of the plane.
Terri said much of the crash site had been "washed down" from heavy rain. The area receives up to 50 feet of rain per year.
Forty-five people, including New Guinea villagers, participated in the excavation process, sifting through soil for remains and personal artifacts.
According to Terri, bones that were found were broken several times, revealing the traumatic impact of the crash. A portion of the remains was also burned.
Five of Walter's bones, two dog tags, a necklace and a silver ID bracelet were recovered from the wreckage. Terri said one of Walter's dog tags was scorched and bent. These artifacts were instrumental in determining Walter's identity. The DNA was extracted from Walter's remains and compared with a sample taken from his brother Harold. According to Terri, Bethke showed in detail how Walter's DNA was a match for match item with her father's.
After the presentation of evidence Harold was asked whether he believed the remains found were those of his brother. He agreed and signed a document saying he would not contest the findings.
Harold was then given his brother's dog tags, necklace and ID bracelet. Terri said her father sat silent, taking in the moment. After 61 years his questions had finally been answered.
Terri said she would encourage military families, no matter how long it takes, to continue looking for their loved ones who are missing, as she and her family did.
"I want a lot of people to know they should not give up hope," she said.
Nearly 79,000 U.S. World War II servicemen remain unaccounted for, with 35,000 "deemed recoverable" and the others lost at sea or entombed in sunken vessels.
The Knudsens are planning a full military funeral for Walter at 1 p.m. April 22 at Memorial Park Cemetery in Sioux City. Walter will be buried next to his mother Hanna Knox. During the ceremony Harold will be presented with a flag adorned with four medals that have been awarded to Walter, including the bronze service star award.
The Knudsens also will travel to Washington, D.C. for a full military funeral in June, where the remains that could not be identified as belonging to any one of the nine crew members will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
© 2006 Sioux City Journal, IA