Pacific Wrecks
Pacific Wrecks    
  Missing In Action (MIA) Prisoners Of War (POW) Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)  
Chronology Locations Aircraft Ships Submit Info How You Can Help Donate
Conference on recovery of WWII soldiers' remains
Post Courier, April 10, 2001

THE CONTINUING efforts to recover the remains of American soldiers and airmen who died during World War II in PNG will be the subject of a multinational conference that starts today in Port Moresby. The three-day conference is being sponsored by the US Embassy and the US Army's Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii (CILHI).

The conference will be attended by representatives of the PNG Defence Force and the National Museum. Also taking part are members of the Australian military, historians specialising in WWII operations in PNG and other specialists involved in this endeavour.

CILHI commander Colonel Pagano said in a statement that the aim of the conference is to enhance the already productive relationship between the US and the various PNG agencies responsible for the recovery operations. He said: "The conference would be extremely helpful in keeping everyone informed of our intentions, as well as helping us be more efficient in finding American WWII servicemen's remains."

The colonel said the working relationship his unit has with the PNG people "is exceptional, and servicemen and anthropologists enjoy the recovery operations in PNG because of the excellent working cooperation the teams received from everyone in the country".

This was evident in Milne Bay recently where a recovery team from the CILHI spent 28 days recovering the remains of eight airmen killed in November 1943 near Alotau. The eight died when their B-17 "Flying Fortress" bomber crashed during bad weather on a ridge near Nigila village while on a bombing run. Fifty-seven years later, a boy from the village found the wreckage and alerted authorities.

Captain Howard Coe, whose recovery team returns to Hawaii with the remains this week, told a gathering in Alotau that they have had an excellent time here and are looking forward to coming back soon. The conference at the Airways Hotel ends on Thursday.



  Discussion Forum Daily Updates Reviews Museums Interviews & Oral Histories  
 
Pacific Wrecks Inc. All rights reserved.
Donate Now Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram