FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 17th, 2024 – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), in partnership with Project Recover and other experts in the field, has announced that they have positively identified the remains of 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly, Jr., who had been Missing In Action since World War II. The 21-year-old from Livermore, CA served as bombardier in a B-24 bomber named “Heaven Can Wait” that was shot down over a remote bay in Papua New Guinea on March 11, 1944. In 2017 the missing bomber was located underwater at a depth of over 200 feet by the nonprofit group Project Recover, leading to a 2023 mission by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to recover crew remains from the …
Remembering Our Heroes: 2nd Lt. Arthur J. Schumacher, USAAF
Guest post by Lynne Hasselman Behind every name engraved on one of our national cemetery’s Tablets of the Missing is an indelible story etched on the hearts of their loved ones. Despite the passage of time, these American heroes live on in faded black and white photographs, yellowed letters home, and faded telegrams marked with tears. Out of 81,500 American service members missing in action (MIA), 72,000 were from World War II. Their lives were marked by war, but it didn’t define them. They lived with color, vitality, and courage, and they had hopes and dreams still waiting to be realized. First and foremost, they were someone’s beloved husband, father, child, sibling, or friend. As part of an ongoing effort, …
DPAA Accounts for LT Jay R. Manown, Jr.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that, in partnership with Project Recover and other experts in the field, they accounted for LT Jay R. Manown, Jr. LT Manown was a TBM-1c Avenger pilot who, until this announcement, was Missing in Action. Project Recover located the downed Avenger in Palauan waters in 2015. The Avenger took off from the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier on September 10, 1944. The crew was part of Torpedo Squadron 20 (VT-20), which was on a bombing mission targeting antiaircraft positions and transport ships on and near Malakal Harbor in Palau. The USS Enterprise and 15 other aircraft carriers were in the area. They were all part of Task Force 38. Together, they were conducting strikes …
Kenneth Whitesell, VADM, USN(ret.) Joins Project Recover Board of Directors
Project Recover is pleased to announce the appointment of its newest board member, Vice Admiral Kenneth Whitesell, United States Navy retired. Kenneth’s introduction to and journey toward this unique organization began over Memorial Day weekend, 2023, when Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial chose to honor and memorialize former MIA, Aviation Radioman 3rd Class Walter Mintus. As then the Commander of the Naval Air Forces, he was invited to share the podium with Project Recover’s Pat Scannon. As part of his preparation, he watched the documentary “To What Remains”. He felt an immediate connection with the Project Recover mission, our dedication to the promise of “no man left behind” and the immense effort executed to return the remains of those still …
Honoring Our Heroes – Clifton, TX
As we decorated the lobby with balloons and set up the memorial tables, the students were all on stage at the Clifton ISD Performing Arts Center, rehearsing the next day’s Honoring Our Heroes program that would be followed by a screening of To What Remains. All the while, heavy thunderstorms cracked and boomed above us as sheets of rain came down. I hadn’t seen a storm like this in years. It was just another rainy night for my local Clifton friends. We woke up the next morning to find that record flooding had closed all roads leading in and out of Clifton. No one could come or leave, and they weren’t sure when the water would begin to subside. Oh …
Washington State Mission
On Sunday, May 26th, we woke up to some light Seattle rain showers and temps in the low 50s. After a quick breakfast at Corner Café, CEO Derek Abbey, COO Adrian De La Rosa, Dir. of Community & Donor Relations Michelle Abbey, and new Team Member MaryJane Harris, now fondly known as the Central Oregon Team, set off for the potential crash site of a WWII era plane. Mission information The call came in several months ago when someone had just learned of our work and reached out with a note that he had some information about a possible stateside site if we were interested. He used to own a boat shop in the Pacific Northwest. He grew to know …
DPAA Accounts for ARM1c Wilbur A. Mitts
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that, in partnership with Project Recover and other experts in the field, they accounted for ARM1c Wilbur A. Mitts. ARM1c Mitts was a radioman on a TBM-1c Avenger who, until this announcement, was Missing in Action from World War II. Project Recover located and documented Mitts’ downed Avenger in Palauan waters in 2015. In partnership with DPAA, Project Recover recovered MIAs from the Avenger during our first MIA Recovery Mission in 2021. The Avenger took off from the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier on September 10, 1944. The crew was a part of Torpedo Squadron 20 (VT-20). The Squadron was on a bombing mission targeting antiaircraft positions and transport ships on and near Malakal …
Searching The Jungles of Palau
Hanna Friedlander joined the Project Recover team in 2022. After her mission with Project Recover in March 2023, she graciously offered to take the time to share with us her experience and thoughts around her first mission. Please note that we purposefully cannot publicly share details about this open case via report or photos. This is out of respect for the family of our MIA and our partnership with DPAA. This was a dream, something I had yearned to do since I began my career as an aspiring anthropologist while pursuing my undergraduate. This dream continued through my years as a Masters student and into my professional life. I had a burning desire to work with an organization that wholeheartedly …
DPAA Accounts for AOM1c Anthony Di Petta
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that, in partnership with Project Recover and other experts in the field, they accounted for AOM1c Anthony Di Petta. AOM1c Di Petta was an ordnanceman on a TBM-1c Avenger.
Friedlander Named Civilian of the Year by Michigan State Police
Project Recover is proud to announce that Hanna Friedlander was named Michigan State Police (MSP) 2022 Civilian of the Year. Hanna works with MSP Intelligence Operations as a Human Remains Analyst and is a Project Recover team member.
