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 …
Relatives of WWII B-24 Crew Gather For Heaven Can Wait ‘Family Reunion’
Heaven Can Wait Family Reunion On March 11, 1944, a World War II B-24 bomber called Heaven Can Wait came under anti-aircraft fire and crashed in the waters off Papua, New Guinea, killing all 11 crew members onboard. Seventy-four years later, on October 13th, 2018, relatives of the crew members gathered for a “family reunion” in Victoria, Minnesota. Using side-scanning sonars, high definition images, and underwater robotic technologies, Project Recover located the B-24 in 2017 under 213 feet of water. …
Finding ‘Heaven Can Wait’; Family Shares MIA Research
Kelly Family Shares MIA Research On Memorial Day 2013, Scott Althaus did what he thought every family should do on Memorial Day; he began searching WWII records for his family’s war heroes and MIAs. One of the men he wanted to research was his cousin once removed, 2nd Lt. Thomas Kelly, Jr., who had been Missing In Action (MIA) since 1944. Lt. Kelly served as a bombardier in an 11-member crew aboard a B-24 bomber called Heaven Can Wait. Their …
The New York Times Reports Project Recover Locates B-24, Heaven Can Wait
The New York Times reports that Project Recover locates the B-24 ‘Heaven Can Wait’ in Hansa Bay, New Guinea, 74 years after it was shot down Japanese anti-aircraft fire. The B-24 ‘Heaven Can Wait’ was on a mission to disrupt Japanese shipping and supply chains when it was shot down. Lt. Thomas Kelly, Jr., was a bombardier aboard the B-24 and one of the 11-member crew who died that day. On Memorial Day, nearly a century later, Kelly’s cousin once …
Memorial Day Service Honors Lt. Thomas Kelly, WWII Bombardier
A Memorial Day Service honoring Lt. Thomas Kelly, a World War II bombardier, shortly after Project Recover announced locating his B-24, Heaven Can Wait.
Project Recover Locates WWII B-24 Bomber, Heaven Can Wait
May 22, 2018 – A B-24 D-1 bomber, Heaven Can Wait, associated with 11 American servicemen missing in action from World War II was recently found and documented in Hansa Bay off Papua, New Guinea by Project Recover—a collaborative team of marine scientists, archaeologists, and volunteers who have combined efforts to locate aircraft associated with MIAs from WWII. The crew of “Heaven Can Wait” was part of the 320th squadron of the “Jolly Rogers” 90th Bombardment Group and was on …
