June 6 will mark the 79th anniversary of the D-Day invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France. Five days later, while returning to their base in England after bombing bridges in France, a B-17G crashed off the coast of Guernsey. Onboard were 12 airmen, including the 25-year-old brother of my grandmother. One airman was rescued by a ship, but the others were never recovered. They are 11 of the 72,234 missing service members from World War II. Having an unrecovered family member affects generations of a family profoundly. Though our lives didn’t overlap, I knew from childhood that my father’s uncle never came home from war. As a librarian, I set out to learn more about my great uncle. The journey brought me treasured relationships, handwritten letters, and stories that connected me with him.
The military is partnering with other nations and agencies to conduct recovery missions around the world. If you have someone missing in action in your family tree, you may wish to contribute DNA in case identification is ever needed. Learn more at Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
These books share stories of missing soldiers and airmen and their families.
- Vanished: The Sixty-Year Search for the Missing Men of World War II by Wil S. Hylton. On September 1, 1944, a B-24 bomber and 11 airmen disappeared over the Pacific archipelago of Palau. This is the gripping story of those who combed the jungles and seas to find the ending to their story.
- What We Inherit: A Secret War and a Family's Search for Answers by Jessica Pearce Rotondi. While grieving her mother’s death, the author stumbles across declassified CIA documents, letters, and maps that reveal her family’s decades-long search for her Uncle Jack. She then retraces her grandfather’s 1973 path across Southeast Asia in search of his son.
- Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff. A sightseeing plane with 24 military men and women crashes in the South Pacific. Only three survive to face an unforgettable battle for survival.
- Bones of my Grandfather: Reclaiming a Lost Hero of World War II by Clay Bonnyman Evans. The remarkable story of History Flight's mission to recover hundreds of Marines, including the author’s grandfather, long lost in the sands of Tarawa, and bring them home.
- The League of Wives: The Untold Story of the Women who Took on the U.S. Government to Bring Their Husbands Home by Heath Hardage Lee. The true story of the fierce band of women who battled Washington and Hanoi to bring their husbands home from the jungles of Vietnam.
My family’s story ends in the swift icy waters of the English Channel, where recovery is very unlikely. But, family DNA is on file just in case, and what’s left to do now is keep his memory alive.
Library tip of the month: We offer Fold3, a subscription resource for finding your family member’s military history. Explore now.
Janet Alder is Marketing and Communications Coordinator with Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries, which has 15 locations in Clark, Skamania, Klickitat, and Cowlitz Counties. Call 360-906-5000 or visit the library district website for more information.
A version of this column first appeared in The Messenger, June 2023.
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