WWII airman's body found on Kings Canyon glacier

WWII airman's body found on Kings Canyon glacier
Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, August 20, 2007

(08-20) 19:10 PDT -- The frozen remains of a missing World War II airman have been discovered on a remote glacier in Kings Canyon National Park, not far from the spot where the body of his apparent crewmate was discovered in 2005, it was announced on Monday.

A hiker discovered the remains on Wednesday at an elevation of 12,300 feet near Mount Darwin inside the park. The remains, which were accompanied by a World War II era uniform and parachute, were being taken on Monday to the the Fresno County coroner's office.

Because of the cold temperature at the recovery site on the Mendel Glacier, the remains included skin, hair and soft tissue, according to Army Major Brian DeSantis of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Hawaii. The command will work to identify the body once the coroner releases it to the military.

"This body was found 100 feet from where the last one was found,'' DeSantis said. "We're hopeful it's from the same incident.''

On Oct. 16, 2005, an ice climber found the body of a man later identified as Leo Mustonen, 22, one of four fliers aboard an Army Air Corps AT-7 plane that took off from Mather Air Force Base on Nov. 18, 1942, on a routine training mission and was never heard from again. The plane was believed to have crashed in a blizzard.

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Sixty odd years later these guys are finally being heard from though clearly long after their ability to know about it. Rest In Peace, fellas.

Back in 2005 they got their hopes up that that body was their son's but it wasn't. I hope they are still alive maybe they will finally at least get their son's remains back.

See what we just said about the internet. The MSM is so busy telling about Britney Spears and Linsey Lohan they don't have time for real news.

Old coin, DNA may help ID airman
Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, August 21, 2007


(08-21) 15:38 PDT FRESNO -- A 1923 buffalo nickel, an old Army uniform and a crumbly wallet with faded photographs might help investigators figure out exactly which missing World War II airman's remains are lying in the county morgue in Fresno.

But it will probably come down to something more modern and foolproof -- DNA matching.

The remains of what is believed to be the second of four crewmen who died on a 1942 training flight were found by hikers last week on a remote Sierra mountainside in Kings Canyon National Park. The body was brought by helicopter and coroner's van to the morgue Monday.

Fresno County coroner Dr. David Hadden will conduct an autopsy in conjunction with an Army anthropologist and specialist in identifying remains of missing military personnel.


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