Aircraft History
Built by General Motors. Assigned to VT-20 aboard USS Enterprise.

Crew History
Baxter was the heir of Baxter pharmaceuticals (today Baxter International). Prior to the mission, Miller replaced the Avenger's regular gunner, "Corky" Courtman.

Mission History
Took off from USS Enterprise. On the approach to attack Peleliu Airfield, this Avenger was hit by anti-aircraft fire, exploded and crashed in a steep dive north of the airfield.

Wreckage
The Avenger's engine landed atop a hilltop ridge, later dubbed "Pope’s Ridge / Walt's Ridge / Hill 100". Other wreckage is scattered over a mile spanning Pope's Ridge and the Horseshoe. After the battle, this crash site was visited by American forces and human remains were recovered, thought to belong to Stuart.

This crash site was generally known since the early 1990s, but had not been precisely identified. During March 5-6, 2003, the wreckage was revisited by Pat Scannon and Daniel O'Brien and others from BentProp. They located a data plate confirming it was a TBF Avenger and the US Navy Bureau Number '16956' painted on the external skin. Also a machine gun and other parts of the Avenger and afterwards reported their findings to Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC).

During the Spring of 2005, this site was reinvestigated by JPAC, but failed to recover any additional remains, although Japanese and Palau remains were found in the same area. During 2005, the wreckage was again visited by BentProp.

Memorials
Miller and Baxter remained listed as Missing In Action and were were officially declared dead September 14, 1945. Both are memorialized on the tablets of the missing at Manila American Cemetery.

Remains returned to Stuart's Family
The remains believed to be Stuart were temporary buried at the USAAF Cemetery, Manila #2. In 1948, the US Navy returned remains to Stuart's wife, but she refused to believe they were her son and the USN declined to DNA test the remains. They were interned at the family's mausoleum in San Joaquin, California.

After the 2005 visit to the crash site by JPAC, Stuart's daughter Mary Ellen Stuart-Roberts had the remains exhumed and paid $11,000 for private DNA testing. The results confirmed that the remains could not be those of Stuart and informed JPAC.

In April 2008 the unidentified remains buried as Stuart were sent to Hawaii. During October 2009, these remains were identified with mDNA testing as those of Arthur C. Miller.

Miller's Remains
During October 2008, JPAC confirmed remains recovered were identified as Arthur Miller and will be buried alongside his mother at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery on November 7, 2009.

Relatives
Don Haake (nephew of Donald Baxter)

Mary Ellen Roberts (sister of Wessly Stuart)
"Stuart was flying his first combat mission."

Arthur Miller (son of Arthur Miller)
A World War II Purple Heart Veteran Aviation Radioman First Class

References
Last Flight Home interviews relatives of each crew member and tells the story of this aircraft
Last Flight Home: Arthur C. Miller's son presented flag quicktime movie 5.2 mb
Last Flight Home: Mary Ellen Stuart-Roberts quicktime movie 3.6 mb
Thanks Pat Scannon and BentProp.org for additional information
Bent Prop: P-Man V Attachment 2 a partially known prior site as a US TBM-1C, 2003
Bent Prop: P-Man VII Final Report Attachment 3 Baxter Avenger BuNo 16956, 2005
SacBee: When DNA proves MIA is still missing, search goes on March12, 2008
CBS: Wrong WWII Remains Sent to Stockton Family April 23, 2008
News 10: Wrong Body Buried In San Joaquin Cemetery March 12, 2008
Oakland Tribune: Airmen MIA again after remains incorrectly ID'ed April 24, 2008
Poughkeepsie Journal "After 65 years, Poughkeepsie airman's family has chance to say goodbye" November 3, 2009

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Last Updated
November 7, 2009

Avenger

MIA
(One ID'ed)

Wrong Body Buried