BentStar is thrilled to announce that our Kickstarter project has been chosen by Life.com to be featured in a gallery! And they have added links to the MIA project and our Kickstarter book page
And yes Life.com is what used to be Life Magazine.
YAHOOO!
The photos featured are a taste of what is on the short list for our book:
26 July 2011
We hope this finds you enjoying a spectacular summer!
There is big news afoot for BentStar. Over the years we have fielded many questions about the MIA project. By far, the most frequently asked question over the last three years is "when are you going to do a follow up to the documentary film "Last Flight Home"?"
Well folks the time has come:
Announcing our follow-up / companion book, "Lost in Palau"!
The book will include updates on all of the finds featured in the film. There's a goose-bump raising twist involving one site and a burial at Arlington National Cemetery involving another. We will cover expeditions that took place after the film in addition to neat bits that there simply wasn't time for in the film. We'll tell the behind the scenes story of making the film and updates on some really cool discoveries, events and happenings in and around the BentProp Project.
Numerous still cameras have been present on every expedition. This means we have compiled a massive hard-drive FULL of one spectacular photo after another. These beautiful photos will be the linch-pin of our coffee table style book.
Our goal is to have "Lost in Palau" published and ready for Holiday shipping. Of course there is the usual hitch, funding. To that end we have discovered a cool new funding platform based not on donations but instead on patronage. This email is to announce not only our book but also the launch of our funding efforts to make it all happen:
Kickstarter.com is an all or nothing proposition. We must make our funding goal within the 60 days in order to receive any funds whatsoever. There are many levels of patronage each with their own rewards. Have you ever wanted to have a BentProp team member show you wreck-sites in Palau??? This is your chance! Just as important as financial support is the spreading of the word.
The clock has started and for this to work we need you, YES YOU! Tell your friends, post on FaceBook, Google+ and Twitter, sing it from the mountain tops!
Bluest Palau Skies,
Jennifer, Dan, Val
13 July 2011
Help us help other families. By using GoodSearch & GoodShop to raise funds for BentStar Project!!
POW/MIA Air Force Col. Leo S. Boston, 30, of Canon City, Colo., will be buried on July 15 at the Air Force Academy Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colo. On April 29, 1966, Boston was aboard an A-1E Skyraider aircraft that disappeared while flying a search-and-rescue mission in North Vietnam. Reports of an enemy aircraft in the area forced him and the pilot of another A-1E to divert to a holding position over Son La Province until the area was clear. When the lead aircraft directed they return, he observed Boston following him but reported no sign of his aircraft once he arrived at the location. Enemy activity in the area precluded search efforts.
4 July 2011
Happy 4th of July.
BentProp had the honor and pleasure to close another portion of the chapter on the B-24 crew laid to rest last April 2010 in Arlington National Cemetery. One of the eight families was not present at the service and we never had contact with them. That family contacted BentProp this past year, we conducted a flag ceremony over the B-24 in April 2011 in Palau and that flag was delivered to the family of that crew member this 4th of July weekend.
Palau, April 2011, BentProp team conducting a flag ceremony over B-24 '453.
Entry to a small town in North Carolina where the family lives...it is 4th of July...
Pictures and medals of Flight Officer William Simpson.
Sister-in-law of FO William Simpson with flag from Palau ceremony.
Enjoy Independence Day and thank men like FO William Simpson!!
1 July 2011
Some methods of finding crash sites are more entertaining than others.....
Some methods are just fun.....
the end result is mixing and matching and working the jigsaw puzzle to see what it is....
photo shop the results and we have a FM-2 Wildcat and then celebrate the end results with fruitbat soup for dinner and a bat bones reconstruct project for fun!!!..
21 June 2011
POW/MIA Capt. Leonard E. Orcutt, Alameda, Calif.; 2nd Lt. Harry L. Bedard, Minneapolis; 2nd Lt. Robert S. Emerson, Norway, Maine; Tech. Sgt. Louis H. Miller, Philadelphia; and Staff Sgt. George L. Winkler, Huntington, W.Va., all U.S. Army Air Forces. Winkler and Miller were buried recently at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., and Orcutt was buried in Oakland, Calif.
Bedard’s burial is scheduled for June 25 in Dayton, Minn., and Emerson’s is scheduled for July 9 in his hometown.
On April 3, 1945, Orcutt and his crew took off in their B-25J Mitchell bomber from Palawan Field, Philippines. The pilot of another aircraft in the flight reported seeing Orcutt’s plane stall out and crash about one mile northeast of the village of Consolacion in a swampy area. There were no survivors.
20 June 2011
POW/MIA Army Staff Sgt. Marvin J. Steinford, of Keystone, Iowa, will be buried on June 21 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. On March 24, 1945, Steinford, along with nine other crew members, bailed out of their B-17G Flying Fortress bomber over Gic, Hungary. It had been hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire while on a bombing mission over Germany. Steinford and another crew member were struck by small arms fire while parachuting into a firefight between Soviet and German forces.
16 June 2011
POW/MIA Air Force 1st Lt. David A. Thorpe, 24, of Seneca Falls, N.Y., will be buried June 23 at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On Oct. 3, 1966, Thorpe’s C-130E, with four other men aboard, failed to arrive at Nha Trang Air Base following their departure from Tan Son Nhut Air Base in South Vietnam. Rescue personnel found their remains at the crash site in South Vietnam eight days later approximately 40 miles west of Nha Trang.
15 June 2011
Because it is never too late...
Military sends teams to look for WWII missing
The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command said Monday a specially trained team arrived in Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia this week for a month long investigation of aircraft crash sites and burial sites of up to 30 servicemen.
14 June 2011
It's Flag Day, and we remember. A high flying flag, forever in peace may you wave. Because it is never too late...
POW/MIA search by JPAC on Wake Island.....
Do you know where Wake Island is? We do! A small recovery team is in Wake Island right now searching for evidence of U.S. personnel that are still missing from World War II.
13 June 2011
POW/MIA Army Cpl. A.V. Scott, 27, of Detroit, will be buried June 22 at Arlington National
Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On Feb. 12, 1951, Scott’s unit, the 503rd Field Artillery
Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, was supplying friendly forces approximately 70 miles east of Seoul, South Korea, when Chinese Communist units attacked the area and forced a withdrawal.
Scott was captured by enemy forces and marched north to a prisoner of war camp in Suan County, North Korea. Surviving POWs within the camp reported Scott died in April 1951.
POW/MIA searches by JPAC head off to Wake Island, YAP, Germany & Belgium....
7 June 2011
POW/MIA Air Force Capt. Darrell J. Spinler, 29, Browns Valley, Minn., will be buried on June 18 near his hometown. On June 21, 1967, Spinler was aboard an A-1E Skyraider aircraft attacking enemy targets along the Xekong River in Laos
6 June 2011
POW/MIA Army Cpl. Harold B. Moore, 19, of Wood County, W.Va., will be buried June 2 at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On Nov. 1, 1950, Moore’s unit, the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division
31 May 2011
Images instead of words.
Because it is never too late.
30 May 2011
POW/MIA memorial day is about these men!!... Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Jack E. Volz, 21, of Indianapolis, will be buried on May 28 in Louisville, Ky. Volz, along with 11 other crew members, took off on Oct. 27, 1943, in their B-24D Liberator from an airfield near Port Moresby, New Guinea.
POW/MIA home after 66 years.... The funeral for U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Martin A. Gill, 26, of Linden, Calif., will be held Sunday in his hometown. On March 12, 1945, Gill and five crew members aboard a C-47A Skytrain departed Tanauan Airfield on Leyte, Philippines, on a resupply mission to guerilla
troops.
POW/MIA home for memorial weekend... Army Pfc. Joseph A. Terrell, 30, of Dallas, Tex., will be buried tomorrow in the Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery. On Nov. 1, 1950, Terrell’s unit, L Company, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, occupied a defensive position in North Korea along the Nammyon River near a bend known as the “Camel’s Head.”
JPAC - Press Center - Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in Action Accounting Command
12 May 2011
POW/MIA Army Cpl. Primo C. Carnabuci, 19, of Old Saybrook, Conn., will be buried May 12 in his hometown. On Nov. 1, 1950, Carnabuci’s unit, the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, occupied a defensive position along the Kuryong River, near Unsan, North Korea.
POW/MIA searches at a price....TEAM MEMBERS HONORED ON ANNIVERSARY OF HELICOPTER CRASH
10th Anniversary remembrance ceremony to honor 16 U.S./Vietnamese members who perished after MI-17 helicopter crash in 2001
It is interesting and a little different having the three Marines here. We all woke up this morning early but at our own time and all went on runs but different route at slightly different times. I need to ensure I start bringing my camera every time I go on a run because I haven’t
JPAC Teams
Right now we have more than 150 personnel searching in five different countries (China, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Laos, and Germany) searching for evidence to identify our heroes. Way to go team!
Today was a great warm-up day for land operations. Joe, Derek, Casey, and Warren headed up to a Corsair crash site that we located last year. Joe led us into the jungle and all the way to the site but not without having a few not so close encounters with some non venomous snakes
How cool is it that the first three BentProp team members to arrive in
Palau for this year's main mission are all active-duty Marines? This
latest progress report was written by Maj. Casey Doyle, who also just
happens to be the grandson of the nose gunner on a B-24 that was shot
...down about 4 miles from our hotel on 1 September 1944...
So today was my first day in Palau, and my first day on the BentProp team. And in true BentProp fashion, my plans for the trip had changed by the end of the day, but I’ll get to that later.
19 March 2011
back story, Casey Doyle is the grandson of one of the crew of 8 on the B-24 BentProp found 7 years ago and JPAC got all 8 home 30 April 2010......
from Derek: Casey Doyle arrived in Palau last night, and was introduced to Koror, Red
Rooster beer, and a Palauan St. Patrick's Day meal all at the same time.
...... Culture shock? Probably not.
Today is St Patrick’s Day and I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the fourth anniversary of the passing of one of BentProp’s members, Bob Holler. It was definitely special to be in Palau this St Patrick’s day, since this is where I met and worked with Bob. He is missed by all
At home in San Diego, after losing an hour of sleep to daylight saving time on Saturday night/Sunday morning I woke up a little after 5 a.m. to drive to the local Safari Park just North of San Diego to run their inaugural half marathon. I managed to survive that a
I made it without too much trouble. They tried to make me wait in Guam for an extra day again, but really they just wanted me to sprint across the airport to catch the flight for Palau.
3 March 2011
From the JPAC Teams page: Sixty-seven years after her father went missing in action, Charmaine Lake Wade was able to bury her father with full military honors, and said she was "very proud, he is my hero." Read more in the link.
Charmaine Lake Wade, 67, of Corpus Christi, felt mixed emotions on Friday, February 18, 2011. This day marked the first time being in the same room with her military father.
1 March 2011
From the JPAC Teams page:As the Department of Defense’s primary mechanism to account for American’s lost in past wars, JPAC continued to make strong advances toward fulfilling its mission during Fiscal 2010. Learn more by reading the 2010 Annual Report attached.
From the JPAC Teams page:
Members from JPAC, alongside The U.S. Army divers from the 544th Engineer Team (Dive), are conducting recovery operations in Cambodia, searching for service members unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. View photos from the on-going recovery efforts via our Flickr page...
KRACHEH PROVINCE, Kingdom of Cambodia (Feb. 15, 2011) - U.S. Army Maj. Thomas Darrow, team leader, sorts through excavated material brought to the surface during underwater recovery efforts in the Kracheh province. The 28-person specialized dive team deployed
[Editor's note: Dan can actually write prose. In English. But sometimes he goes into a trance, and starts generating stream-of-consciousness stuff that's basically like Pentecostals speaking in tongues, except a little more understandable, and it makes you kind
14 February 2011
From the JPAC Teams page:
"It is beyond words," Debby Wolfe said after the solemn ceremony at Arlington where her uncle, WWII MIA Tech. Sgt. Charles Bode, was laid to rest.
Because it is never too late
Overhead soared a B-52. On the ground, the seven members of the firing party marched to their places. In the distance, drums could be heard, and then the entire band, leading a horse-drawn caisson carrying a flag-draped casket to its final destination.
I now know that there’s something down there. There’s something down about 116’ feet below the surface of the blue Philippine Sea, and. west of the capital of Koror.
11 February 2011
from the JPAC Team Page: The Department of Defense (DoD) POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of 11 U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
From the JPAC Teams page:
Touching story about a woman who remembered a hero's sacrifice for decades and then returned the POW-MIA bracelet to his surviving children upon his identification and burial.
Because it is never too late
from the JPAC Teams page:
pvt. Donald D. Owens of Navarre, whose remains were recovered 66 years after he perished in a tank blast in France during World War II, identified.
Pvt. Donald D. Owens of Navarre, whose remains were recovered 66 years after he perished in a tank blast in France during World War II, will be given a proper burial at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., tin May.
Yesterday was our first water day. It was one of those days where we try to get the bugs out of everything. Sometimes, literally.
2 February 2011
From the JPAC Teams Page: Wondering how YOU can help JPAC? Anyone can help by selecting a casualty (perhaps from your home state) and researching their family history to find living relatives who might be FRS donors. FRS info & listings found here (under "Search"): http://go.usa.gov/Yyw
Because it is never too late
JPAC - Frs - Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in Action Accounting Command
28 January 2011
It is ON! The first of two 2011 expeditions to Palau is underway. Dan is in Hawaii with the first leg of his journey complete. He arrives in Palau on the 31st. Follow along here or at the BentProp web site. Helping to bring home our MIAs of WWII. Because it is never too late.
from the JPAC Teams page: The U.S. Army Air Corp Staff Sgt. Chastain, WWII missing in action, will be returned to his family on Saturday 68 years after a fatal aircraft crash in Papua New Guinea.
This spring, when trees are showing the wispy green of new life, Richard Ryrholm will say farewell to an uncle he never knew.He'll stand in the Arlington, Mass., cemetery where his Swedish
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Robert F. Dees, 23, of Moultrie, Ga., missing in action from the Korean War, has been identified and returned to his... family for burial with full military honors.
Hello BentStar supporters, need an idea for a gift for to one of those
130,000+US troops in Iraq & Afghanistan????? http://bentstarproject.org /SockBrigade.html "Its a simple goal, warm feet for our troops in harms way by way of soft
luxurious... alpaca socks!" Nearly 10,000 pairs of alpaca socks have
already been sent and we have literally hundreds of requests for more.
You can help! Because warm feet are not a luxury.
The added bonus is that donations to BentStar Project LTD are tax
deductible. Warm your heart and their feet!
Of course copies of the film Last Flight Home are always a wonderful
gift for all on your list: www.LastFlightHome.org
Our ongoing work and shared efforts have already helped to bring closure
to families, loved ones, and friends, even after 65 years.
Your tax deductible contribution will ensure that these ongoing missions
will be accomplished through all means possible.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!
Bluest Skies,
Jennifer, Dan, Val
22 December 2010
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
A Holiday message from JPAC commander, Maj. Gen. Stephen Tom:
Hau'oli Lanui & Makahiki Hou! (Happy Holiday and New Year)
As the holiday season approaches and we begin to plan for the new year, I stand in awe with how much the fine men and women of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command accomplished in 2010...(follo...w the link to read more)
When I first found out I was getting my own column, I was shocked… SHOCKED. After all, what do I, the world’s most pre-eminent perpetually amazed camelid have to offer such an esteemed publication as Bluffton Today? It turns out, I bring a unique perspective as one of the few ungulates working in th
Maj. Gen. Stephen Tom leads teams that search for remains
4 December 2010
Hey folks check out what the official spoke sock of the Sock Brigade is up to! Lamb Chop is helping BentStar send warm alpaca socks to our troops in harms way. Wanna help? Go to http://bentstarproject.org/SockBrigade.html to donate!
More from the BentProp page: FACEPLATE is the official newsletter of the divers and salvors of the U.S. Navy. There's an excellent article by CWO3 Randy Duncan on pp. 8-10 of the December 2008 issue titled "Bringing Our Heroes Home...Navy Divers Support JPAC In Palau." The article describes the 2007 mission (one of thr...ee missions by JPAC at this site) to recover the remains of the crew of B-24 #42-73453, which was sh
From the BentProp page:
FACEPLATE is the official newsletter of the divers and salvors of the U.S. Navy. There's a COMMARFPCOM Public Affairs Release article on p. 5 of the January 2005 issue that describes one of the JPAC/MDSU missions to recover remains of the crew of B-24 #42-73453 in Palau from the MDSU perspective.... The 2004 BentProp team located and identified this aircraft in 2004, after a 10-year search...
POW/MIA from the JPAC Teams page:
Army Air Force Capt. George W. Grismore of Salt Lake City, whose life was commemorated during a memorial service in Utah Nov. 13, will be buried today off the coast of Newport Beach, according to the Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office.
News: World War II captain to be buried at sea | remains, aircraft, grismore, buried, world, war, captain, dna, aboard, beach
11 November 2010
To all Veterans past and present, THANK YOU!
And, happy Veterans Day!
9 November 2010
POW/MIA TV Alert - PacificWrecks.org / Justin Taylan will be profiled on NBC "Last Call with Carson Daly" on Veteran's Day, November 11th at 10:35 PST (1:35am EST Nov 12th)
POW/MIA JPAC needs your help! from the JPAC Teams FB site:
We need your help! During the next few weeks we will be launching new video segments featuring various people who work for JPAC. We are trying to come up with a name for these new video shorts (ie. Fireside Chats, JPAC Spotlight, etc). Please help us out by offe...ring your suggestions! Also, give us feedback about the video segments! Tell us what you'd like to see!
Dr. Robert Mann, Director of the Forensic Science Academy talks about what working for JPAC means to him.
5 November 2010
POW/MIA more from the JPAC page: Curious about JPAC deployments? Do you know how many JPAC service members and civilians are currently deployed around the globe? Find out where we’re at by visiting the Around the World page...
POW/MIA from the JPAC page... "Fun fact: JPACs Central Identification Laboratory has the largest and most diverse staff of Forensic Anthropologists in the world. To learn more about the CIL, visit JPACs website"
Claude G. Tyler never saw World War II end. He never came home to greet his parents, Crawford and Florence, never married his sweetheart, Ruthie, never had kids, grew old, retired or passed with the rest of his generation through the cycles of long life.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
GREAT BARRINGTON — Hunched over a pair of hazy photos, Emily Wagner maneuvers a tiny spatula to rearrange the torn and furrowed film that shows the chest X-ray of a missing Korean War soldier.
20 October 2010
POW/MIA From the JPAC Teams Page:
An archeological recovery team continues underwater recovery operations in the Thua Thien-Hue province of Vietnam, searching for nine Americans unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. View photos of this on-going mission ... Because it is never too late
Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Show off your favorite photos and videos to the world, securely and privately show content to your friends and family, or blog the photos and videos you take with a cameraphone.
19 October 2010
POW/MIA Sgt. Michael A. Chiodo from World War II, has been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors
POW/MIA Staff Sgt. Robert S. Griffith, Staff Sgt. Melvin C. Dye and Sgt. 1st Class Douglas J. Glover missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
POW/MIA Sgt. Donald M. LaForest and Master Sgt. John G. Linkowski have been identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
HONOLULU — Forensic anthropologist Gregory Fox and his team sifted dirt on the remote Pacific atoll of Tarawa at what they thought might be graves of U.S. Marines and sailors killed in one of World War II's most savage battles.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
Navy Lt. Francis B. McIntyre has at last been laid to rest, nearly 67 years after he died serving his country. McIntyre, a Mitchell native, and a second airman were killed Nov. 10, 1943. The SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber McIntyre was piloting crashed during a combat mission on Buka Island, Papua New...
Missing WWII Soldier is Identified in Germany - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to…...
HONOLULU — A U.S. military team returned from the remote Pacific atoll of Tarawa this week with the remains of what are thought to be two U.S. servicemen who died in a fierce World War II battle there.
On September 10th, I was invited by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command to attend an arrival ceremony for the recovered remains of fallen U.S. personnel from World War II and the Vietnam War. These remains received full military honors during the ceremony at Hickam Air Force Base, before being tra...
19 September 2010
POW/MIA latest report from JPAC recovery team on Tarawa
United States Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Kurtis S. Witt pulls out a knife and kneels beside a WWII-era Japanese 3-inch projectile. Witt gingerly chips away at corrosion on the still unexploded artillery shell.
The third Friday of each September is reserved to salute those men and women who served our nation as prisoners of war as well as the 81,864 who remain unaccounted for. We still have Americans missing from the war in Vietnam (1,713), Cold War (125), Korean War (8,025) and World War II (74,074).
WhiteHouse.gov is the official web site for the White House and President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. This site is a source for information about the President, White House news and policies, White House history, and the federal government.
Have a Blast for BentStar, Make it a rip roaring slam BANGING BLAST that propels BentStar’s search efforts to a whole new realm! Ever want to blow something up with a great big KABOOM? T...
12 September 2010
POW/MIA searches by JPAC in South Korea, Canada & work in Columbia...
September 1, 1:30 pm Update on the Coast Guard Search and Recovery Mission in Greenland From HDNet World Report producer Phil Maravilla in Greenland: The entire team is hanging tough, but the rain has been relentless, and that means the work is going slowly, or almost not at all.
1 September 2010
POW/MIA search in Greenland, The Duck Hunt, for 3 MIAs from 1942
HONOLULU — The Battle of Tarawa was one of the first U.S. amphibious campaigns of World War II. It was also one of the most ferocious.
27 August 2010
POW/MIAs almost home.....
An honor detail made up of JPAC military members will carry five flag-draped transfer cases from a C-17 to a bus that will transport the cases to JPAC’s laboratory for analyses. The first two transfer cases represent the Vietnam War and were recovered from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and ...the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The remaining transfer cases were recovered from the Republic of Vanuatu, Germany, and France, and represent World War II losses.
JPAC - Arrival Ceremonies - Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in Action Accounting Command
25 August 2010
POW/MIA from the BentProp Project's wall:
66 years ago this morning, B-24 #44-40596, with ten men on board, was shot down near Koror, Palau. Two parachuted out and were captured by the Japanese. The aircraft and the other eight men are still missing. The BentProp team has been searching for this one for several years, a...nd we have people literally all over the world actively researching this loss...TODAY. It continues to occupy the top spot on our priority list.
The BentProp team searches the waters and jungles of the western Pacific for clues that may lead to the location and identification of wreck sites and remains of men who gave their lives in defense of America during World War II.
Relive history by taking to the skies with History Flight, Inc.-- a 501c3 Non-Profit foundation committed to keeping World War II aviation history alive by operating three of the most important aircraft of WWII and offering clients the chance to actually fly aboard a B-...25 bomber or actually fly the AT-6 or N2S Stearman under the guidance of our certified flight instructors. No piloting experience required!
23 August 2010
POW/MIA JPAC & DPMO confirmation of Vietnam MIAs repatriated...
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — The family of an Army helicopter pilot missing for nearly four decades in Vietnam says his remains have been recovered and will be returned to his native Oklahoma.
17 August 2010
POW/MIA JPAC recoveries from Korean War in China.....
JPAC - Press Center - Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in Action Accounting Command
12 August 2010
POW/MIA Because it is never too late.
"It's basically a promise by the U.S. government that they will do everything in their power to bring their fallen warriors home, and that's the way we roll."
JPAC searches for Marines lost during The Battle of Tarawa!!
In large part due to the hard work of the folks from History Flight!!
25 July 2010
Some YouTube clips of adventures in Palau.....
7 July 2010
News from JPAC on Korea MIAs:
"On June 3, 2010 approximately 50 National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) military and civilian employees, and invited guests gathered in Section U, near grave 901 to witness what is hoped will be the last leg of the journey of what now is only known as X-17120......."
11 June 2010
Listen to a radio interview with "Last Flight Home" film-makers Jennifer Powers and Daniel O'Brien on BlogTalkRadio:
(on BlogTalkRadio either wait for the ad to finish or just cancel it to hear the interview)
8 June 2010
A dear friend, Walter Joseph Meyer, Major USMC Ret passed away today...
A note to the family of Walter Meyer:
Thank you for your thoughtful note letting us know of the passing of a very dear friend.
Without knowing much about us, Walter took us into his life and home - we loved him for it and we will continue to love the memories of every moment we spent together with Walter. Through his story telling, he shared with us those very tough war years through his recollections as both a combat aviator and a combat leader. We were very fortunate because Walter not only taught us about a time and place in history that we could get from no one else, but more than that, he shared these experiences as the commander that he was. We felt honored that Walter was willing to describe momentous and heroic events during those days, always downplaying his own role - but he never fooled us: we always knew we were in the presence of a very special person, a Marine, an American who defended our country at a most critical time.
Walter was very gracious. I was privileged to witness his willingness to share his experiences and memories about MAJ Quintus Nelson with his son, Jim Nelson. Walter's spending time to tell us about Lt Virginius Perry, the young man, not the MIA, inspired us to keep looking until we found Lt Perry's crash site in 2007. And Walter would stay with us as long as we wanted - but we always left before then so as not to wear out our welcome. We always wanted to come back for more.
Walter was and indeed is an example to live by. He shared with me once that he wished he would have pursued his original career in aeronautical engineering. If so, he certainly knew how to make the best of second best (a lesson all by itself) - but somehow, I believe his career really was all about his leadership, whatever else he might have done. He told me about his adventures flying for Alaska Airlines after the war - which certainly involved a lot more than sitting behind a cockpit. I saw first hand how more than 60 years after WWII, the members of VMF121 Reunion Group, each a prominent member of society in his own right, addressed Walter as "Sir" or "Major" (and never Walter) and, naturally, put him at the head of the table - this was not courtesy but enduring respect. At the Indianapolis reunion not so long ago, while others looked superficially into the cockpit of the VMFA 121's F18, Walter studied it. I thought I was joking when I asked him if he could fly it: without hesitation and with purpose, he took me through the start up procedure and knew all the critical speeds and distances to get that Hornet into the air. In his eighties, he belonged to two ski clubs. With these but as examples and for many more reasons, Walter remains a standard in my life that I strive to exemplify.
I will miss Walter the person - it goes with my fortune of having gotten to know him. But I cannot miss his spirit because I am blessed that it shall remain with me.
Please let us know when you might have a memorial for Walter - we would love to pay our respect for this very special man.
With deep sorrow for your loss,
Pat Scannon
7 May 2010
Joe's great adventure across the USA!!!! Starting in Washington DC in a suit for the first time and in the USA for the first time and many more firsts........
Joe at the World War II memorial on the Mall Washington DC
March has been racing by, and we've been busy making plans for a big event in late April at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). The families of all eight of the crew members whose remains were recovered from the underwater crash site of B-24 #42-73453 have been invited to a group ceremony and interment at ANC on 29 April 2010. Many BentProp team members from around the country are planning to attend, and it looks like we're even going to be able to bring our long-time team member and master guide Joe Maldangesang from Palau! Stay tuned as plans firm up for the big ANC event.
12 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #23 - Lotions, storyboards, lectures, diplomacy, and goodbyes. Everyone's finally home.
11 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #22 - Reid waxes nostalgic
10.5 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #21 - Paul Schwimmer checks in before departure
10 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #20 - The side-scan sonar gets a caretaker; the mission starts winding down
9 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #19 - A junkyard can also be a reference library
8.5 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #18F - Flip's home; he shares some other people's photos
hey, it's Flip's numbering system, not mine.......
8 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #17 - Report-writing torch passes to Derek; important find at crash site
7 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #16 - President Toribiong tours police hill; Flip leaves for home
6 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #15 - More metal in the jungle. Lots more.
MIA site being commemorated
5 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #14 - Butterflies and aircraft parts in the jungle
<<<<<<<YYYYIIIIIPPPPEEEEE>>>>>>>>>
3-4 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #13 - Sonar operator's motto: "Beam 'til you scream"; a visit to the Japanese embassy; ghosts still inhabit Hell Island
pay no attention to Flip's numbering system.......
2 March 2010.....finally...
P-MAN XII Progress Report #12 - Departures; arrivals; Semper Fi.
1 March 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #11 - Hikes & hitchhikers.
28 February 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #10 - There's the tsunami! No, wait - maybe that's it...
BentProp ProjectJust so y'all know, yes, the team in Palau is aware of the monster quake (8.8) that struck Chile this morning (Saturday morning east-coast time). NOAA has issued a Pacific-wide tsunami WARNING, complete with detailed prediction times when first waves will hit various locations around the Pacific. In Palau, Malakal (where our hotel is located) is expected to receive the first wave at 1:13 p.m. local time on Sunday. Flip Colmer reports that they "...held an all hands meeting, bought water, got cash, have some food, have
found higher ground to escape to and will make our way to CAT team
compound if the worst happens." I'm sure we'll be getting real-time news coverage from Hawaii, where the first wave is forecast to hit Hilo at 4:19 EST this afternoon, and Honolulu about a half-hour later, but we probably shouldn't try to extrapolate from whatever happens in Hawaii to what we expect to happen in Palau. Stay tuned.
25-26 February 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #08 - Miscellany; P-MAN interruptus; Semper Gumby!
24 February 2010
P-MAN XII Progress Report #07 - Nuts and bats; strong current; Flip covets a yacht. Pictured below is betel-nut abuse....
23 February 2010
BentProp Progress Report #06 is up. The team did their
first interview of a Palauan elder, learned to tell (notice, actually)
the difference between Japanese and English markings on aircraft
parts,
experimented with the effect of salt water on electronics, and
got some more manta-board practice. Jack Herbert from Marine Sonic...
is about to arrive and show the amateurs how to really use their new
Side-Scan Sonar.
22 February 2010
BentProp expedition update #5. All you wanted to know about manta boards.......
19 February 2010
POW/MIA searches in Palau begin again, follow with the Flip updates on this years BentProp expedition to Palau through the somewhat daily updates!
15 February 2010
21st Annual Symposium on Maritime Archaeology and History of Hawai’i and the Pacific February 13-15, 2010 in Honolulu, HI. BentStar Project's Daniel O'Brien was one of the presenters....
14 February 2010
Hawaii's Hickam AFB preparing to upgrade lab to ID war dead
5 February 2010
This years BentProp hat and bandana. The gang is in final preps for the 2010 expedition. Watch this space for updates......
4 February 2010
A new film distributor for; The Search for MIAs from WWII Documented in “Last Flight Home” DVD
31 January 2010
BentProp searches in Palau just got enhanced by a donation from Marine Sonic!!!!!!
Note the very nice touch of commemorating Jimmie Doyle from a MIA B-24 we found 6 years ago.
24 January 2010
Fallen soldiers honored
Hundreds show up to pay respects to remains of 3 unidentified troops
24 December 2009
Have A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year and A Wonderful Holiday Season!!!!!
Lamb Chop paired up with The Sock Brigade to help spread the word about our project. In the coming weeks we will have downloadable posters so you can help us raise funds by being an official donation station. See our article in the upcoming Winter addition of Alpacas Magazine.
24 November 2009
BentStar Project has been selected as the holiday charity for Davis Elen Advertising to the tune of $5,000. They said "I found out about The Sock Brigade after reading a story on the BBC website about a WW2 pilot's remains being brought home from the Pacific after more than 60 years. I had no idea there were people still dedicated to doing this. One link on the BentProp website led to another link and voila! The Sock Brigade. For us, knowing that our contribution will result in something tangible and real - namely socks - clinched it.
So in answer to your question, I believe it was the Alpaca Sock Angel that brought us to you!"
Here's a new easy way to raise money for BentStar Project, Ltd.. Just start using Yahoo! powered GoodSearch.com as your search engine and they'll donate about a penny to your favorite cause every time you do a search! Here's the web site — http://www.goodsearch.com.
In addition, do all of your shopping through their online shopping mall, GoodShop.com, where you can shop at more than 900 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchases will go to the charity or school of your choice. You pay the same price as you normally would, but a donation goes to your cause!
Here's the web site — http://www.goodsearch.com. You can also read about GoodSearch in the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal.
17 November 2009
The pilot of B-24 '453 is coming home, Jack Arnett will be laid to rest in December. The B-24 was found by BentProp in 2004 in Palau. http://www.bentprop.org/Jack_Arnett/index.htm
6 November 2009
After sixty five years of waiting, on November 7th decorated World War II Aviation Radioman First Class Arthur Carl Miller, will be brought home by the U.S. Navy and laid to rest in the Poughkeepsie, NY, Rural Cemetery.
Declared Missing In Action On Sept 13,1944 when the TBM-Avenger aircraft he was aboard failed to return from a mission over the Palau island of Peleliu. Radioman Miller along with Ordinance man Second Class Wesley R. Stuart and Ensign Donald E. Baxter the pilot of the TBM-avenger took off from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise on the ill fated mission.
In March of 2003 the BentProp Project volunteers identified the wreckage of the missing TBM-Avenger. But this is not the beginning of Radioman Miller’s circuitous journey home.
In 1948 the Stuart family of Stockton California were told the remains of Avenger Ordinance man Wesley Stuart had been identified and were being returned home. The trouble is Mrs. Stuart, Wesley's mother never believed the remains to be those of her son. “It isn’t my son, but it is someone’s son and I will take care of him”. Prophetic words.
In 2007 Wesley’s sister Mary Ellen had the remains exhumed and tested. The results confirmed that one should never ignore mothers intuition, the remains were not those of Wesley Stuart. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command took the remains to their labs in Hawaii for identification.
And now we know the results and Radioman Arthur Carl Miller can finally come home to his family to rest. This is at least the fourth funeral this year of an airmen from a BentProp identified aircraft. The team is deep in the planning for their 2010 mission to the islands of Palau.
Here are a few links to information on the Arthur C. Miller story.
H.R.2647 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010
To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2010 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, to provide special pays and allowances to certain members of the Armed Forces, expand concurrent receipt of military retirement and VA disability benefits to disabled military retirees, and for other purposes
(Sec. 561)
Directs the Secretary to implement a comprehensive program to account for missing persons from all U.S. conflicts from World War II to the present. Requires the program to be implemented within the DOD POW/MIA accounting community (a community of several offices, commands, and laboratories doing work related to missing military personnel and casualties). Requires: (1) each unaccounted for person to be considered a missing person for program purposes; and (2) a personnel file to be maintained for each missing person, with any new information relevant to the status of the person to be added to the file. Provides as program goals that 200 missing persons are accounted for annually beginning with FY2015, and 350 are accounted for annually beginning with FY2020.
(Sec. 564)
Expresses the sense of Congress: (1) reaffirming its support for the recovery and return to the United States of the remains of members killed in battle, and for efforts by the joint POW-MIA Accounting Command to recover the remains of members from all wars; (2) recognizing the courage and sacrifice of members who fought on the island of Tarawa in World War II; (3) acknowledging the dedicated research and efforts to identify, locate, and advocate for the recovery of remains of members from Tarawa; and (4) encouraging DOD to review such research and, as appropriate, conduct new studies, research, and undertake all feasible efforts to recover, identify, and return to the United States remains of members from Tarawa. Subtitle G: Decorations and Awards -
Hello BentStar followers,
We hope this finds you and yours well and smiling.
There has been a rather large and wonderful development in one of the aircraft stories covered in the film "Last Flight Home". http://www.bentprop.org/pm5/pm5-04.htm
The identification of the TBM Avenger on the island of Peleliu and the interviews with the families of those on board encapsules the first act of the film. In the course of the story Mary Ellen Stuart-Roberts reflects on the fact that her mother never believed the remains they received to be those of her son. "It's not my son but it is someones son and I will take care of him". Nearly two years ago Wesley Stuart's mom was vindicated when her daughter Mary Ellen had the remains exhumed and DNA testing confirmed that the remains could not be those of her son. Mothers intuition is always right. Meet Mary Ellen Stuart-Roberts sister of Wesley Stuart.
This week it was confirmed that the remains are those of Wesley's fellow crew member on the Avenger, Arthur C. Miller. Arthur's son speaks in the film of never knowing his father and how bringing him home would bring closure.
The Miller family is currently working with the DPMO in planning the formal funeral with full military honors for Arthur C. Miller. Meet Arthur C. Miller's son Arthur C Miller II.
In another twist of small worlds colliding, team member Dan O'Brien in California received a call from his brother-in-law in Reno, NV, an administrator of a church. It involved a church member asking for assistance in arrangements for the burial of her brother whose remains had just be found and returned from World War II. After a little more discussion it turns out to be the sister of one of the crew, Robert Stinson, on the B-24 featured in the film "Last Flight Home". We have been in contact with this family now and BentProp members are invited to the funeral services in Riverside, CA on 30 October 2009. http://www.bentprop.org/pm6/final_report/pm6_report_atch_02.htm
Our thanks go out to all the families involved for allowing us to tell their story.
Bluest Skies
Jennifer, Dan and Val
5 September 2009
Hello BentStar supporters,
Just a few update items since the BentProp expedition in February 2009.
1:
We can now be followed at FaceBook and Twitter, where we will post fairly regular updates on MIA searches, discoveries and recoveries from around the world. Twitter, follow us at "LastFlightHome" http://www.twitter.com/LastFlightHome
By signing up to follow us on either site you will help our mission of searching for and finding MIAs. By helping keep up the awareness of MIAs and getting the word out there!!!
3:
BentProp members attended 2 funerals this spring of the B-24 crew found in 2004 by BentProp. The crew was recovered (2005-2008) and identified (2009) by JPAC. http://www.bentprop.org/index.htm
4:
The major POW/MIA site BentProp has been searching for is closer to being found and JPAC investigating.
This potential site contains at least 3 crew members from a B-24, 10 Jesuit priests/brothers and caretaker family members and potentially many other POW/MIAs that were captured or
transported to Palau and never left. http://www.bentprop.org/pm11/pm11-01.htm#markpow
To celebrate this years expedition we are offering a special on "Last Flight Home" $20 (that's $5.00 off list) and FREE Con US shipping. A ten dollar savings for a limited time. What better way to spread the word about the work of the BentProp team than with the gift of "Last Flight Home" ?! http://www.lastflighthome.org/dvd.shtml
Bluest Palau Skies,
Jennifer, Dan and Val
YOU
can help bring POW/ MIAs home. How? DONATE! And
then send The BentStar
Project link to ten friends challenging THEM to donate and challenge ten friends
to do the same.
Raise money for BentStar Project Limited (Woodland CA)
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