S/Sgt Walter Knudsen (42-40505)

Details about those listed as missing or killed in the Pacific, including current search operations.

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Leondus
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S/Sgt Walter Knudsen (42-40505)

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SIOUX CITY, IA - Staff Sgt. Walter Knudsen was remembered as an American hero at a service for the soldier who was killed when his plane crashed during a training mission over New Guinea during World War II.

Knudsen and eight crew members were on the B-24D bomber when it crashed 61 years ago.

A villager found Knudsen's dog tag in February 2002, leading to the excavation of the plane in 2003 and the identification of eight of the nine crew members' bodies in 2005.

Six soldiers from the 113th Cavalry of the Iowa National Guard carried Knudsen's flag-draped coffin to a green canopy Saturday for a graveside service at Memorial Park Cemetery. Friends and family gathered as VFW and American Legion members stood in line saluting.

Capt. Bruce Hansock, of the 113th Cavalary, presented Knudsen's brother, Harold, with the American flag that covered Walter's casket.

Eyes gazed skyward as four F-16 fighter jets flew by and four doves were released in honor of Knudsen and his crew members.

Harold Knudsen remembered his brother as a caring and spirited young man.

''He was a very joyful fellow to be with,'' Harold said. ''Anything that came to his mind we would joke about. He always wanted to play with you.''

Walter Knudsen grew up in Sioux City and graduated from Central High School in 1941. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, now the Air Force, in 1941.

He was stationed in Denver, Las Vegas and Yuma, Ariz., before being transferred to Port Moresby, in New Guinea.

Although he enjoyed his travels, Walter Knudsen longed for Iowa, said Harold Knudsen, who provided a DNA sample that helped identify his brother's remains.

''He would mention how much he missed Sioux City and missed Iowa and hoped that he could someday get back,'' Harold said.

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