bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Share #1 Posted November 19, 2008 I thought I would post a thread of my Grandmother's journey to find the 50 year old crash site of her brother's B-29 in Oklahoma. The crew was killed in the crash. My brother, a journalist who actually took her to Oklahoma and found the site for her and spent a year documenting the crash and the search 50 years later, eventually wrote a 3 part series about the journey and published it. It's an amazing story and very well written. I'll see if I can give a quick synopisis with pictures. Here is the draft my bother wrote... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #2 Posted November 19, 2008 ...and the article he eventually wrote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #3 Posted November 19, 2008 My Uncle Tommy (my Grandmother's oldest brother) was a WWII vet who got out, and then returned to service in 1949 as a B-29 bombadier/navigator. This is a pic of him as a cadet (furthest on right). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #4 Posted November 19, 2008 Here is his graduation notice from bombadier school at Childress Field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #5 Posted November 19, 2008 Here's my Uncle Tommy as a newly commissioned officer with his bombadier wings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #6 Posted November 19, 2008 This story began in the mid 90's when I met a guy on one of the early AOL militaria forums who could obtain USAAF crash records. I was always curious about my Uncle's crash, so I paid him $20, and he produced a 3 document record of he crash. The records is very detailed and very grisly. It contains crash photos, autopsy records, funeral home expense records, and an investigation into the causes of the crash (turns out it was probably a high altitude explosive decompression which led to anoxia of the crew because they weren't wearing oxygen masks). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #7 Posted November 19, 2008 A picture of the crash site from the file. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #8 Posted November 19, 2008 That's where my brother took over. He was a journalist at the time and his deep curiosity began to kick in. The 50th anniversarry of the crash was also approaching, and my Grandmother expressed an interest in visiting the site. None of my family had ever been to the site, which was in a small town called Talihina, OK. My brother started his quest with a single phone call to the Talihina town hall and asked the woman if she knew anything about a B-29 crash in 1949. As luck would have it, there happened to be an old timer who overheard the woman say "What? A B-52 crash? When?" He took over and my brother's journey took off. In the following months, he received e-mails, letters, and phone calls from all of the good people of Talihina who remembered the crash. He began to piece together the story and became ever more intrigued. He and my Gram bought plane tickets and had no idea if they could ever actually find the crash site. A local Talihina newspaper clipping.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #9 Posted November 19, 2008 A local (Adams, MA) newspaper clipping of the same event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #10 Posted November 19, 2008 So, my brother and my Gram flew to Talihina where they met one of the many people who helped them. Here is a picture of a guy by the name of Roy Medders. It was on his farm that the plane went down. He remembers seeing it fall from the sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #11 Posted November 19, 2008 My brother had a GPS unit and the grid coordinates from the crash report punched in. But try as they did, they just couldn't located the exact crash site despite hours and hours of searching. Mr. Medders got them close, but they just couldn't find any evidence. My Gram was O.K. with that. She was just happy to be able to lay a wreath in honor of her brother 50 years to the day and time (7 PM) that the B-29 crashed. Here is the farm.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #12 Posted November 19, 2008 ...my Gram climbing a fence to search for the crash site.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #13 Posted November 19, 2008 ...my Gram laying the wreath somewhere close to the site... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #14 Posted November 19, 2008 ...and a close up of the wreath. It contained pictures of Uncle Tommy's family (he was married with one child and one on the way) and all of his grandkids and nieces and nephews. As a side note, they actually found his wedding ring in the crash debris inscibed to his wife (my Aunt Kay). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #15 Posted November 19, 2008 The next morning they were having breakfast at a little greasy spoon in Talihina, and my brother signed the restaurant's guest book...Scott Mahar, Adams, MA. They left and planned to head back home. Soon after, a gentleman came in, had his breakfast, and was paying his bill when he noticed the name. He happened to be the guy my brother talked to on the phone who happened to know the exact spot of the crash. He called every hotel in town to find my brother. When he eventually contacted him my brother told him about not finding the spot. This gentleman made plans that day to bring my Gram and brother to the spot so my Gram could finally say good-bye to her brother. They met. They walked to the same farm. And eventually my brother (who is a collector, albeit Civil War) and my Gram came face to face with my Uncle's destiny...the debris field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #16 Posted November 19, 2008 Here is a pic of that gentleman who brought them to the exact site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #17 Posted November 19, 2008 Some small pieces of wreckage he brought home... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #18 Posted November 19, 2008 A few more identifiable pieces....a stopwatch, a knife, and a parachute or seat buckle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #19 Posted November 19, 2008 And probably the coolest piece...some kind of a plate from the plane. It reads "B-29 Pre-flight checklist" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #20 Posted November 19, 2008 ....a close up of the plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigschuss Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share #21 Posted November 19, 2008 Last pic....my brother back home in Adams at Uncle Tommy's grave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugme Posted November 19, 2008 Share #22 Posted November 19, 2008 That's a very interesting story and what a coincidence,(or maybe provenance) that the guy who knew the exact location of the crash site showed up! Thanks for sharing the story here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobgee Posted November 19, 2008 Share #23 Posted November 19, 2008 Great personal story. Thanks for sharing it with us. Bobgee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmjordan77 Posted November 19, 2008 Share #24 Posted November 19, 2008 Wow, That is a great (but very Tragic) story. It was especially nice that your grandmother was able to make the journey and pay the respects 50 years to the day and the time. The other neat thing was finding the debris of the wreck. Thank you for sharing the photos, items, and story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmjordan77 Posted November 19, 2008 Share #25 Posted November 19, 2008 I think God has his hand in the search as well. Seriously, who would could have brought the person who knew the exact site to come in to that same resturant, the same day you all were there, and he took the time to notice a name on the guest log and then remembered the call he had. I think God was allowing you, your grandmother and your family closure on this tragedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now