The remains of U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Alfred J. Hamwey, a 24-year-old pilot from Jacksonville, Florida, who went missing in action during World War II, have been identified and accounted for. Hamwey disappeared on January 20, 1945, while piloting an A-20G Havoc bomber in Papua New Guinea during a mission to neutralize Japanese forces.
After exhaustive searches by the American Graves Registration Service proved unsuccessful, Hamwey was declared non-recoverable in 1949.
However, in 2011, an Australian Defence Force officer reported seeing an aircraft crash site near Cape Wom, which was later confirmed to be Hamwey’s plane.
Read: WWII Airman’s Remains Identified After 79 Years, To Be Buried In His Home State Of Wisconsin
Over several years, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) conducted extensive investigations and recovery operations at the crash site, culminating in the identification of Hamwey’s remains in May 2024.
Hamwey’s name is currently listed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. A rosette will be placed next to his name to signify his recovery.
He will finally be laid to rest in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida on September 12, 2024.
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