NEW DELHI — The bone fragments formally turned over to the U.S. Wednesday carry significance and perhaps closure for possibly a few American families who lost a loved one in World War II over India.
During a ceremony Wednesday, U.S. military members paid final respects to what they believe might be the remains of crew members from a B-24 bomber and a military transport plane that crashed on supply runs from India to China over the Himalayan Mountains.
Eight people were killed in the B-24 crash, and a four-man Army Air Force crew was killed in a C-109 crash. It marks the first time the Defense Department’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency is bringing home remains of missing military members from India.
“This is a sad duty, but it means a great deal,” said Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who watched the ceremony. “Those guys whose remains are in those coffins would have wanted that and would be proud and happy to be home, and their families too.”
Two bone fragments — small enough to fit inside a sandwich bag — along with some other artifacts from the B-24 flight were found during a U.S. excavation in the rugged mountain. Their discovery and return gives hope to families that the remains of the estimated 350 U.S. service members still classified as missing in India might someday find their way home.
According to Gary Stark, the India desk officer for the POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the B-24 known as Hot as Hell, went missing with its crew of eight in January 1944. The aircraft was one of many that ran supplies from China to India, flying people and parts back and forth over what they called the Hump.
The second set of remains was turned over to the POW/MIA agency by a third party and was from the same region. The Pentagon said the remains are “possibly” related to a C-109 that crashed on July 17, 1945, traveling from India to China.
After Wednesday’s ceremony at the airport in New Delhi, the remains, which were put in ceremonial boxes and into flag-draped caskets, will be sent to a lab in Hawaii for DNA testing. Only then will officials know if the fragments belong to one or two crew members.
The B-24 crash site is one of many in the mountains where U.S. aircraft went down as they tried to negotiate the harsh terrain. Teams have tried to excavate sites before, but in 2008-09, they found no remains. This time, experts aided by mountaineers identified four search areas. Two were in terrain that was too dangerous for crews to work because of possible landslides.
Along with the bone fragments, the team found other items associated with the crash, but no personal effects, such as dog tags or watches, that could identify the crew.
Carter, who has been traveling in India, watched as taps was played and the remains were placed in the caskets and loaded onto a C-17 aircraft for the flight home.
No more excavations in India are planned for the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30, and officials said they didn’t know the schedule for next year.
