Major Paul A. Avolese-- Part 1

From Find A  Grave.

PAUL ANDREW AVOLESE

BIRTH:  12 June 1932 in Jamaica, New York

DEATH:  7 July 1967 (aged 35) Vietnam War

BURIAL: Springfield Memorial Gardens  Springfield, Oregon

A Vietnam veteran, finally laid to rest after being MIA for over fifty years.

U.S. Air Force Major Paul A. Avolese was killed during the Vietnam War during a maneuver over the South China Sea on July 7, 1967.

The B-52 bomber that he crewed  collided with another B-52 causing both aircraft to fall into the sea.  Four of the crew members from his aircraft were rescued, but Avolese was never recovered.  He was declared dead  on July 24, 1967.

Newfound Tech Finds Vietnam War Navigator-- Part 4: Amazing Technology

Still, investigators pursued potential leads about the wreckage of the two B-52s for decades.

In February of last year. scientists from Project Recover helped the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) continue the search for the B-52s where previous ones had failed.  The target of their survey vessel's two week expedition was the seafloor area measuring about eight square miles.

In the past, such expeditions would have relied on divers or "fairly rudimentary" sonar.  But this time they were using three 6-foot-long robots with the ability to scan up to 229 feet on either side and produce high-resolution imagery of the seafloor.

The wreckage of one of the B-52s came into view.  Then the team saw human remains on the seabed.  Before recovering them, the crew obtained permission from military officials in Vietnam and the United States by satellite phone.

About 24 hours later, the remains were brought to the surface.  A lab in Hawaii eventually identified them as belonging to Major Paul A. Avolese.

The remains of two other men who were on the same B-52 have yet to be found.  A full excavation to cover them would typically be the next step in such a case, and the DPAA would make that decision.

In September, the Pentagon said a ceremonial pin would be placed next to his name at the Courts of the Missing, in the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu to indicate that he had been found.

Newfound Tech Finds Lost Vietnam War Navigator-- Part 3: A 'Fireball'

 

The mission to find Major Paul A. Avolese's B-52 bomber was the first time that the defense agency had allowed a nongovernmental partner to conduct work in Vietnam.

Paul Avoles3 was born June 12, 1932 and was from New York.  he served in the Air Force's 4133rd Bomb Wing in Vietnam.

On July 7, 1967, he an his crew were flying from a U.S. base on Guam Island alongside other B-52s to bomb a target in South Vietnam.  As two of the bombers maneuvered into place about 65 miles southeast of what was then Saigon, the South Vietnamese capital, they collided, igniting a "fireball."

Eight days after the crash, Col. Mitchell Cobeaga of the Air Force notified Avoles's parents in a letter that the exact cause of the explosion was unknown.

Avolese, who was 35 at the time, was declared dead a few days afterwards.  The U.S. government later classified his remains, as well as those of five others missing, as "nonrecoverable."

Newfound Tech Finds Lost Vietnam War Navigator, Paul A. Avolese-- Part 1

From the August 5, 2021, Chicago Tribune "Newfound tech finds lost navigator" by Mike Ives, New York Times.

On a July morning in 1967, two American B-52 bombers collided over the South China Sea as they approached a target in what was then South Vietnam.

Seven crew members escaped, but rescue units from the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard were unable to find six other men, including a navigator from New York, Major Paul A. Avolese.

It was not until last year that scientists scanning the sea floor found one of the B-52s and recovered Avolese's remains.

Scientists say the recovery highlights a shift in the Pentagon's ability to search for personnel still missing from the Vietnam War.

For decades, such efforts have mainly been focused on land in former conflict zones.  But in this case, American investigators looked at an underwater site near Vietnam's long coastline using high tech robots.

U.S. Warships: USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)

From the 2021 Paralyzed Veterans of America calendar.  December 2020.

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) leads a formation of Carrier Strike Force (CSG) 5 ships as U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft and U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornets pass overhead for a photo exercise during Valiant Shield 2018.

The biennial U.S. only, field-training exercise focuses on integration of joint training among the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

This is the seventh exercise in the Valiant Shield series, which began in 2006.

Quite the display of strength.

Go Navy, Marines and Air Force.  What, No Army?  --Cooter

15 Military Weapons That Changed the World-- Part 2: Jeeps, Rockets and Jets

8.  Willys Jeep  (WW II)

7.  V 2 Rocket  (WW II)

6.  Messerschmitt-262  (First jet fighter)

5.  B-29 Superfortress

4.  F-100 Super Sabre

3.  F-117 Night Hawk

2.  MQ-1 Predator Drone   (I have written about a WW II drone built in DeKalb, Illinois, in my Tattooed on Your Soul:  World War II blog.)

1.  Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier

--DaCoot

15 Military Weapons That Changed the World-- Part 1

I'd have to call them Weapons, though.

From the May 24, 2020, Hot Cars site"15 Military Vehicles That Changed the World. Go to the site to find more information.  I'm just listing here.

15.  Wright Military Flyer  (airplane)

14.  British Mark I Tank  (WWI)

13.  French Voisin III  (WW I airplane)  First true bomber

12.  USS Monitor

11.  HMS Dreadnaught  (WW I)

10.  HMS Hermes  (First designed aircraft carrier)

9.  U-boat  (WW I and WW II)

--Cooter

100th Aero Squadron of World War I

From Wikipedia.

Part of the U.S. Army in World War I.  Ordered to the Western Front and boarded the SS Tuscania 23 January 1918.  Torpedoed 5 February and ship sunk but most of the 100th rescued.

Reformed in England as assigned as Day Bombardment Squadron for long-range bombing attacks on roads, railroads and massed troop formations.

However, just before its first scheduled combat mission the war ended with the 1918 Armistice.  Returned to the States in June 1919 and demobilized.  The group was never reactivated.

--DaCoot

What's in the News February 20, 1972: Why, the Vietnam War and Nixon's Visit to China

A reprint in the February 19, 2017, Panama City (Florida) News-Herald of their front page from 1972.

FIVE AMERICAN PILOTS ON DISPLAY IN HANOI

They had been shot down during bombing raids over North Vietnam.  The Pentagon had reported the five men as missing.  These five men were of the six who had shot down during 29-hours of raids last Wednesday and Thursday.

U.S. COMMAND:  NO COMMENT

The command had no comment on this story

CHINESE DENOUNCE BOMBING RAIDS

The Chinese foreign ministry denounced American bombing raids, just one day before President Nixon's arrival in Peking.

NIXONS ON GUAM

President Nixon landed on Guam for his final rest stop before becoming the first U.S. president to visit China.

Aren't We Glad These Days Are Over.  --Cooter

The B-52s Are Still Around-- Part 5: Pop Culture

No other plane in the U.S. arsenal has been around as long. Other more technologically advanced have come and gone, but the relatively low-tech B-52 has remained.

The bomber has also found its way into pop culture. There is a Kahlua-infused cocktail (never had one and gives new meaning to "Gettin' Bombed"), a beehive hairdo for women in the 1960s and a New Wave rock band out of Athens, Georgia, the B-52s, and their "Rock Lobster" and "Love Shack."

A Nation, A Plane.  --DaCoot

The B-52s Are Still Around-- Part 3: Till 2040

During the B-52s Cold War heyday, there were 744 of them operating. Today, that number is down to 76. The most recent variant of the plane, built between 1960 and 1962, has undergone more than 30 major modifications.

The plane's 185-foot wingspan and 160-footlength, however, remain.

The plane was designed on the back of a napkin over a weekend by three Boeing employees.

The B-52 was developed during the Korean War (1950-1953). It carpet bombed during the Vietnam War, ran crucial missions in Kosovo and the Middle East and the Air Force plans to keep them running until at least 2040.

--Cooter

The B-52s Are Still Around-- Part 2

The B-52 has been around nearly a half-century and the Air Force believes that modifications and overhauls have made the planes nearly ageless. Now, engineers and technicians are working on a contract worth up to $11.9 billion for upgrades to bring the B-52 Stratofortress into the 21st century.

Right now, the planes' computers are circa early 1980s pcs and information has to be uploaded before a flight and can't be changed en route, even if the target changes. These new changes will enable crews to send and receive information via satellite links.

--Cooter

The B-52s Are Still Around-- Part 1: A "Family Business"

From the August 25, 2013, Chicago Tribune "B-52, Cold Warrior that soldiers on" by W.J. Hennigan.

"For Air Force Capt. Daniel "Swoop" Welch, flying a B-52 bomber has become family business.

"His father, retired Lt. Col. Don Welch, was trained to drop nuclear bombs with the aircraft during the height of the Cold War. His grandfather, retired Col. Don Sprague, flew B-52 combat missions in Vietnam.

"It is definitely a testament to the robust design of the B-52," said Welch, 28. "Getting to fly the same aircraft as my father and grandfather has been pretty cool."

And these planes are getting ready for an overhaul that will continue their use indefinitely.

"Off We Go Into...." --Cooter

I Heard Tell: Japanese Thanks for the Atom Bomb-- Pacific Bomber

1. JAPANESE THANKS FOR THE ATOM BOMB-- Wednesday, a friend of mine was talking about a trip he'd made to the USS Missouri Memorial at Pearl Harbor. being a historian himself, he had lots of questions to ask of the tour guide.

Afterwards, the guide called my friend aside to tell him a story. A few weeks earlier, an elderly Japanese man and his family were on the tour. Afterwards, the man had called the guide aside and thanked the United States for dropping the atomic bombs.

Now this would absolutely be one of the last things you'd expect a Japanese person to say.

The man said he had been a kamikaze pilot and scheduled to fly a few days after the surrender. he then pointed to his family and said that if Japan had not surrendered, they would not be there.

2. PACIFIC BOMBER-- Earlier today, we were at Popeye's in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and had one of the best fish fries you'll find anywhere. On the way out, I stopped at a giant map of the world and saw two other gentlemen closely inspecting it and talking about the Marianas Islands and World War II.

The older one had been a tail gunner on an American bomber and had been on raids over Japanese cities. He said that the planes were actually hot from all the fires and destruction below during their bombing runs.

Plus, there was a certain smell that bombers got after missions, that they were never able to clean away.

Talk to Those World War II Vets. --Cooter

Another World War II Bomber Crew Found-- Part 4

From the Pacific Wrecks.com 1995-2010 site.

The story of Jose L. Holguin, the "Naughty but Nice's" only survivor is interesting as well.

He was the only one able to bail out and suffered a broken jaw and a back injury when he landed. He crawled without food or medical attention for weeks until he was discovered by local villagers.

They were unable to treat his injuries and turned him over to the Japanese on July 17th. He received no treatment from them, but an infamous Japanese doctor did experiment on him. At one point, the doctor injected him with malaria to study the effects.

Holguin returned to the crash site in both 1981 and 1983.

One of the Greatest Generation. --DaCoot

Another World War II Bomber Crew Identified-- Part 3

The List of Honor to Be Buried at Arlington National Cemetery Today.

These four were the remains discovered in 2001.

WILLIAM J. SARSFIELD-- 1st Lt., pilot, Philadelphia
CHARLES E. TRIMINGHAN-- 2nd Lt., co-pilot, Salinas, Ca.
ROBERT L. CHRISTOPHERSON-- Tech Sgt., engineer, Blue Earth, Mn.
LEONARD GIONET-- Tech Sgt., radio, Shirley, Mass.


These remains were recovered in 1949

HERMAN H. KNOTT-- 2nd Lt., asst. bombardier, NY
FRANCIS G. PEATTIE-- 1st Lt., bombardier, Beacon, NY
HENRY GARCIA-- Staff Sgt., assistant engineer, Los Angeles, Ca.
ROBERT E. GRIEBEL-- Staff Sgt., asst. radio, Riverton, Wy.
PACE P. PAYNE-- Staff Sgt., gunner, Corsicana, Tx.

The only survivor of the crash was JOSE L. HOLGUIN-- 1st Lt., navigator, Los Angeles, California. He will not be buried with the rest of the crew. I was unable to find out where he was buried, buy imagine it was in Los Angeles.

Heroes, All.

JOSE L. HOLGUIN

Another World War II Bomber's Crew Identified-- Part 2

Former Lt. Jose A. Holguin, unfortunately, did not live to see his crew's identification and now internment together. He died of a heart attack in 1994 at age 73. It is a wonder that he survived the crash and imprisonment.

In 2001, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command group excavated the crash site and found the remains of the four missing crew members: Sarsfield, Trimingham, Christopherson and Gionet. Using DNA and dental records, the remains were identified.

The nine who died will be buried today, September 21st, at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

At the end of World War II, there were 79,000 US service personnel unaccounted for. Today, that number is down to 73,000. Still a lot, but I am happy to see effort is still being made to locate and identify their remains.

Heroes, All. --DaCoot

Another World War II Bomber Crew Identified-- Part 1

From the September 21st Boston Globe "US identifies remains of Mass. WWII soldier" by John M. Guilfoil.

Missing since a June 26, 1943, bombing raid, Army Air Forces Technical Sergeant Leonard A. Gionet, 30, was one of ten crewmen on a mission to attack Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, when his B-17E Flying Fortress nicknamed "Naughty but Nice" was damaged by anti-aircraft fire and then shot down by a Japanese fighter plane over New Britain Island.

Nine died. Only Lt. Jose L. Holguin, the plane's navigator, survived. He was captured and held prisoner until September 1945.

In 1949, locals led US military to the site of the plane crash and some of the remains were recovered, but the technology to identify them did not exist at the time.

They were buried in the "Unknown" section of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

Holguin returned to the crash site in 1982 and 1983 to look for his fallen comrades. A piece of the plane's nose art was recovered and is now on display at the War Museum on Kokopo, Papua New Guinea.

With new available technology and information, the remains in Hawaii were exhumed and five of the crewmembers identified.

More to Come. --Cooter

Twelve Missing World War II Airmen Identified and Buried-- Part 3

From August 4th My Fox DC.

Charles Durgin and his brother always heard stories when they were growing up about an Uncle Fred whom they had never met. Uncle Fred was Staff Sergeant Frederick Harris, the tail gunner on a B-24 bomber nicknamed the "Shack Rat."

It disappeared during an operation in the Pacific and the family never knew what happened to him until 2003, when a crew member's ID was found in New Guinea in a site so remote that it was not until 2007 that a forensic team was able to get to it.

Yesterday, the remains of the men were buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 66.

Never Give Up looking for the MIAs.

Twelve Missing WW II Airmen Identified and Buried-- Part 2

The Department of Defense reports that more than 73,000 Americans still remain unaccounted for from World War II. here are 12 heroes no longer on that list:

1ST LT. JACK E. VOLZ-- 21, Indianapolis, Ind.
2ND LT. REGIS E. DIETZ-- 28, Pittsburgh, Pa.
2ND LT. EDWARD J. LAKE-- 25, Brooklyn, NY

2ND LT. MARTIN P. MURRAY-- 21, Lowell, Mass.
2ND LT. WILLIAM J. SHRYOCK-- 23, Gary, Ind.
TECH SGT. ROBERT S. WREN-- 25, Seattle, Wash.

TECH SGT. HOLLIS R. SMITH-- 22, Cove, Ark.
STAFF SGT. BERTOLD A. CHASTAIN-- 27, Dalton, Ga.
STAFF SGT. CLYDE L. GREEN-- 24, Erie, Pa.

STAFF SGT. FREDERICK E. HARRIS-- 23, Medford, Mass.
STAFF SGT. CLAUSE A. RAY-- 24, Coffeyville, Kan.
STAFF SGT. CLAUDE G. TYLER-- 24, Landover Md.

This list gives a good indication of the age and location of bomber crews.

Heroes All.