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Remains of Pa. man recovered at WWII Burma crash
I am pleased that these patriots have been brought home. I hope that all of us remember that "flying the hump" was one of the most dangerous air missions of WWII. My dad was in the Air Force in Europe but he talked to me about his particular issue to make my young mind understand the dangers the soldiers faced in that war.
If you'd like to learn more about Flying the Hump, please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_the_Hump
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Remains of Pa. man recovered at WWII Burma crash
The Associated Press
Updated: 07/03/2010 12:07:17 PM EDT
TYRONE, Pa.—Military authorities have identified the remains of a western Pennsylvania man and six other servicemen missing in action since their cargo plane went down in Burma during World War II.
The remains of Tech. Sgt. Clarence Frantz, 24, of Tyrone and the others will be buried with full military honors July 15 at Arlington National Cemetery. The men were aboard a C-47A Skytrain that left Dinjan, India, on May 23, 1944 to resupply Allied forces near Myitkyina, Burma, but never returned.
In 2002, a missionary provided officials with a data plate from a C-47 crash site about 31 miles northwest of Myitkyina, Burma. Officials say a Burmese citizen turned over human remains and ID tags for three of the crew members in 2003, and a military team excavated the site in 2003 and 2004.
Also aboard the aircraft were Army Capt. Joseph M. Olbinski, Chicago; 1st Lt. Joseph J. Auld, Floral Park, N.Y.; 1st Lt. Robert M. Anderson, Millen, Ga.; Pfc. Richard M. Dawson, Haynesville, Va.; Pvt. Robert L. Crane, Sacramento, Calif.; and Pvt. Fred G. Fagan, Piedmont, Ala.
Clarence Frantz was a member of Tyrone's Troop B, 104th Cavalry, before he transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was posthumously awarded 14 medals in 1949, including the Purple Heart, Silver Star and the Air Medal with cluster.
His brother, Robert Frantz, said he received a package from the U.S. military about seven months ago containing a bracelet their mother bought in South
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Carolina and gave to Clarence before he shipped out for overseas duty.
"To hold that bracelet in my hands meant so much to me," Robert, 72, of Lindenwold, N.J., said Friday. "At home, we had pictures of him as long as I can remember. He always stood out because we didn't know where he was. It was always an open book."
Clarence Frantz also is survived by his 87-year-old brother, Leo, and has cousins living in Altoona, Philipsburg, Tyrone and State College, Robert Frantz said. He said he plans to honor Clarence at the Arlington services by wearing the Army uniform he wore on active duty before retiring in 1985
"It will be 66 years and 52 days," he said.
If you'd like to learn more about Flying the Hump, please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_the_Hump
_______________________________________________________________
Remains of Pa. man recovered at WWII Burma crash
The Associated Press
Updated: 07/03/2010 12:07:17 PM EDT
TYRONE, Pa.—Military authorities have identified the remains of a western Pennsylvania man and six other servicemen missing in action since their cargo plane went down in Burma during World War II.
The remains of Tech. Sgt. Clarence Frantz, 24, of Tyrone and the others will be buried with full military honors July 15 at Arlington National Cemetery. The men were aboard a C-47A Skytrain that left Dinjan, India, on May 23, 1944 to resupply Allied forces near Myitkyina, Burma, but never returned.
In 2002, a missionary provided officials with a data plate from a C-47 crash site about 31 miles northwest of Myitkyina, Burma. Officials say a Burmese citizen turned over human remains and ID tags for three of the crew members in 2003, and a military team excavated the site in 2003 and 2004.
Also aboard the aircraft were Army Capt. Joseph M. Olbinski, Chicago; 1st Lt. Joseph J. Auld, Floral Park, N.Y.; 1st Lt. Robert M. Anderson, Millen, Ga.; Pfc. Richard M. Dawson, Haynesville, Va.; Pvt. Robert L. Crane, Sacramento, Calif.; and Pvt. Fred G. Fagan, Piedmont, Ala.
Clarence Frantz was a member of Tyrone's Troop B, 104th Cavalry, before he transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was posthumously awarded 14 medals in 1949, including the Purple Heart, Silver Star and the Air Medal with cluster.
His brother, Robert Frantz, said he received a package from the U.S. military about seven months ago containing a bracelet their mother bought in South
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Carolina and gave to Clarence before he shipped out for overseas duty.
"To hold that bracelet in my hands meant so much to me," Robert, 72, of Lindenwold, N.J., said Friday. "At home, we had pictures of him as long as I can remember. He always stood out because we didn't know where he was. It was always an open book."
Clarence Frantz also is survived by his 87-year-old brother, Leo, and has cousins living in Altoona, Philipsburg, Tyrone and State College, Robert Frantz said. He said he plans to honor Clarence at the Arlington services by wearing the Army uniform he wore on active duty before retiring in 1985
"It will be 66 years and 52 days," he said.
Margy: You should look it up. The British actions in the Burma theater were quite heroic.
Amanda: My dad would talk about certain parts of it. He memorized the eye chart so he get in the Air Force. His cowardly brother, who literally shot himself in the foot to avoid deployment to the Pacific, had deliberately poked him in the eye with a sharp stick. But my dad wanted to fight. He was assigned as a bottom turret gunner. You know, the guys that get hosed out of the turret because there;'s nothing left of them! He flew several missions before his eye condition was discovered. Then he worked on the engines. He probably had no business in a turret. Being blind on one side could endanger the plane. But he was a literal dead eye shot!
He wouldn't talk about the missions he flew. We were watching a WW2 movie together. I was small and asked why the crew looked sad that they'd successfully bombed a German ship. I got a good lecture on the horrors of war and the value of each human life. But he didn't have a problem talking about the Pacific theater or the ground fighting on the European mainland. We always watched "Rat Patrol" together.
Boy am I on a roll!! At age 15, he went down to Bilouxi, MS for navy boot camp. When they discovered his true age, he was sent packing. But he did try! His family didn't even know he was missing. He'd told them he was with his aunt who lived out of town and they never bothered to verify it.
Amanda: My dad would talk about certain parts of it. He memorized the eye chart so he get in the Air Force. His cowardly brother, who literally shot himself in the foot to avoid deployment to the Pacific, had deliberately poked him in the eye with a sharp stick. But my dad wanted to fight. He was assigned as a bottom turret gunner. You know, the guys that get hosed out of the turret because there;'s nothing left of them! He flew several missions before his eye condition was discovered. Then he worked on the engines. He probably had no business in a turret. Being blind on one side could endanger the plane. But he was a literal dead eye shot!
He wouldn't talk about the missions he flew. We were watching a WW2 movie together. I was small and asked why the crew looked sad that they'd successfully bombed a German ship. I got a good lecture on the horrors of war and the value of each human life. But he didn't have a problem talking about the Pacific theater or the ground fighting on the European mainland. We always watched "Rat Patrol" together.
Boy am I on a roll!! At age 15, he went down to Bilouxi, MS for navy boot camp. When they discovered his true age, he was sent packing. But he did try! His family didn't even know he was missing. He'd told them he was with his aunt who lived out of town and they never bothered to verify it.
Well, seems we all have something in common here. My grandfather was RAF. He never spoke much about his wartime days and I never pressed the issue. Now that he has passed, I wish I had asked more questions. I will read up on this.
My father was also a flier in The Royal Air Force .It is indeed a great thing that these Patriots are back in their country ..and being honored at Arlington National Cemetary .I will take a look at that link as my memories are from my father in England so the hump is new to me ...
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