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3d ago

WWII Airmen from 'Heaven Can Wait' Honored 81 Years After Crash

The remains of four crew members have been recovered and are being laid to rest, bringing long-awaited closure to their families.

Diane Christie wears a necklace with a photograph of her uncle, World War II U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Thomas Kelly, inside Santos Robinson Mortuary, Friday, May 23, 2025, in San Leandro, Calif. whose remains had been missing since being killed when the World War II bomber nicknamed Heaven Can Wait was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into the water off the coast of New Guinea on March 11, 1944. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
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An American flag is folded during the interment for World War II U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Eugene Darrigan at the cemetery behind St. Mary's church, Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. Darrigan was buried in his hometown after his remains were recovered from a World War II bomber that crashed into the water off the coast of New Guinea on March 11, 1944. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
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Overview

  • The B-24 bomber 'Heaven Can Wait' was shot down over New Guinea in 1944, killing all 11 crew members and leaving their remains unrecovered for decades.
  • A 12-year investigation led by Scott Althaus, a relative of 2nd Lt. Thomas Kelly, pinpointed the crash site, with Project Recover locating the wreckage in 2017.
  • In 2023, Navy divers conducted a deep-sea recovery mission, retrieving remains and personal items from the crash site 200 feet underwater.
  • The remains of Staff Sgt. Eugene Darrigan and 2nd Lt. Thomas Kelly were buried with military honors over Memorial Day weekend, while the remains of 1st Lt. Herbert Tennyson and 2nd Lt. Donald Sheppick will be interred later this year.
  • The recovery and identification efforts, completed through DNA testing and material evidence, bring closure to the families after 81 years of uncertainty.