WWII A devastating World War II bomber crash that claimed the lives of 11 crew members and left their remains deemed “non-recoverable” is finally seeing a measure of closure—four of those fallen airmen are coming home.
WWII For decades, the site of the 1944 crash in Europe remained largely undisturbed, and the remains of the crew were thought to be lost forever. However, through renewed recovery efforts and modern forensic techniques, the remains of four servicemen have now been identified and will be returned to their families for proper burial.
WWII This long-awaited homecoming honors their sacrifice and brings a measure of peace to loved ones who waited more than 80 years for answers.
WWII After 81 Years, Four WWII Airmen Lost in Pacific Bomber Crash Are Finally Returning Home
WWII On March 11, 1944, as the World War II bomber Heaven Can Wait was struck by enemy fire near the Pacific island of New Guinea, the co-pilot made a final, All 11 crew members aboard were killed. For decades, their remains lay undisturbed at the ocean’s depths, officially classified as non-recoverable.
Now, thanks to a determined family-led investigation and a complex recovery effort by elite U.S. Navy divers—who descended 200 feet in a pressurized chamber to reach the wreckage—four of those fallen servicemen are finally coming home.
Staff Sgt. Eugene Darrigan, the plane’s radio operator, was laid to rest with full military honors on Saturday in his hometown of Wappingers Falls, New York. His return comes more than 80 years after he left behind his wife and infant son to serve in the war.
The bombardier, 2nd In the coming months, the remains of 1st Lt. Herbert Tennyson, the pilot, and 2nd Lt. Donald Sheppick, the navigator, will also be interred.
These homecomings are the result of a 12-year effort led by Scott Althaus, a relative of Lt. Kelly, who took it upon himself to find the precise location of the crash site.
“I’m just so grateful,” Althaus told The Associated Press. And here we are, 81 years later.”
March 11, 1944: Heaven Can Wait Goes Down
Tasked with bombing Japanese targets near New Guinea, the aircraft was hit by enemy fire and went down over the Pacific. No survivors were spotted by nearby airmen.
The loss devastated the families left behind, though many kept their grief private, reflecting the reserved nature of their generation.
After Darrigan’s death, his wife Florence eventually remarried but kept the memory of her first husband alive through treasured photographs and the telegram that brought the heartbreaking news.
Tennyson’s wife, Jean, never remarried and lived to be 96.
Memorial Day 2013: The Beginning of the Search
As Memorial Day approached twelve years ago, Scott Althaus reached out to his mother to learn the names of relatives who had died in World War II.
His mother shared the name of her cousin, Thomas Kelly, who was just 21 when he was reported missing in action.
This sparked his curiosity, leading him to dive deeper into the story of the lost plane.
With the support of other family members, Althaus carefully examined historical documents, photographs, and eyewitness accounts—sometimes conflicting—to determine where the plane had crashed.
This report was then shared with Project Recover, a nonprofit organization dedicated to locating and repatriating missing American service members and a partner of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). In 2017, a team from Project Recover, led by researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, discovered the wreckage after scouring nearly 10 square miles (27 square kilometers) of ocean floor.
In 2023, the DPAA launched its deepest underwater recovery mission to date to recover remains and artifacts from the site.
A Navy dive team recovered several artifacts from the wreckage, including dog tags—one belonging to Eugene Darrigan, partially corroded but still bearing the name of his wife, Florence, as an emergency contact. They also found Thomas Kelly’s ring; though the stone was missing, the word “BOMBARDIER” remained clearly visible.
The team recovered human remains that were subjected to DNA testing.
With seven crew members still unaccounted for, future recovery missions by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) remain a possibility.
Memorial Day 2025: Long-Overdue Homecomings
Some stood along the procession route waving flags, while others paid their respects during a graveside ceremony beneath overcast skies.
“After 80 years, this great soldier has come home to rest,” Darrigan’s great-niece, Susan Pineiro, said during the service.
Though Darrigan’s son passed away in 2020, his grandson Eric Schindler was present to pay tribute.
Darrigan’s 85-year-old niece, Virginia Pineiro, solemnly accepted the folded flag, marking a poignant moment of remembrance and closure.
Kelly’s remains arrived in the Bay Area on Friday and were scheduled for burial on Monday at his family’s cemetery plot, located next to the marker engraved with the bomber image.
“I think it’s very unlikely that Tom Kelly’s memory will fade anytime soon,” said Althaus, who now volunteers with Project Recover.
Sheppick’s son, whom he never got to meet, passed away from cancer while still in high school.