Sunday, July 6, 2008
Brief to Senate Armed Services Committee
The following brief was sent to the Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Robert Gates. The brief was also sent to the the Senate Armed Services Committee in conjunction with Senator Russell Feingold's request for the Committee to investigate the Navy's decision.
US Navy “George 1” Antarctic Crash (1946) (revised)
Repatriation Brief
The George One Recovery Team is committed to the safe and successful recovery of three US Navy Air Crewmen killed when their PBM-5 Mariner, codenamed “George 1,” crashed during Admiral Richard Byrd’s 1946-47 Operation Highjump expedition. Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez, Frederick Warren Williams, and Wendell K. Hendersin were the first Americans to perish on the Antarctic Continent and remain buried 150 feet below the surface of Antarctic’s infamous Phantom Coast located on the Noville Glacier.
On 20 December 2007, the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Donald Winter in a letter to the men’s families, reversed a 62-year-old Navy commitment to repatriate the crew of the Operation Highjump George 1 crew.
The letter, issued just days before Christmas, stunned the surviving family members as it appears the rejection reversed the promises the Navy made to the families and was made outside the policies and procedures of DoD.
The Secretary of the Navy rejected the comprehensive plan that contained the last remaining elements the Navy itself said it needed, as late as 2006, to recover the ill-fated crew from their temporary Antarctic grave. Crash survivors buried the men beneath a specific and well-marked area under the #2 engine nacelle of the largely intact PBM-5 wing as a temporary measure to protect them from scavenging seagull-like skuas. The men now lie up to 150 feet below the accumulating snows of Thurston Island. (Latitude 98.8W Longitude 71.8S.)
A full vetting of the rejection letter reveals that SECNAV argued incorrect facts and policies. Those charged with creating the letter for the SECNAV’s signature appear unaware of the complete history of the proposed recovery plans, Antarctic conditions, logistics or the promises the Navy made to the families.
The George One Recovery Team executive director and expedition leader with the assistance of Senator Patty Murray (WA) is attempting to meet with Navy the to discuss the actual facts and policies that follow below.
Should the Navy not reverse its decision the families and the recovery team are, once funding is obtained, determined to conduct a private recovery that will utilize the assets of Russia and Canada.
The Navy’s Promise
In 2005, under the tenure of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the Navy was to attempt a recovery but lacked sufficient safety and technological elements. Since that time COMNAVAIRLANT (CNAL), has maintained that a safe and proven technology remained the only missing elements in the repatriation of the George 1, Operation Highjump Crew. Between 2005 and 2006 a CNAL letter issued to at least 3 family members stated:
“While resources are available... if the safety, logistical and operational prerequisites allow for a mission in the future every effort will be made to bring our sailors home.”
The Current Plan
In September 2007, at the request of more that 40 surviving family members, a member of the Greenland Expedition Society (GES) submitted a 23 page proposal to the SECDEF Robert Gates, DEPSECDEF Gordon England and SECNAV Donald Winter with the last remaining technological and safety elements the Navy said it needed (in 2005) to successfully repatriate the men. GES, a group of private individuals from all walks of life developed the unique, simple and unprecedented technology and without incident, melted a 27-story, 4 foot diameter shaft, and opened a 200 square foot cavern with the Greenland ice sheet to successfully recovered a WWII P38 Lighting fighter (aka Glacier Girl) – this at almost twice the depth of the George 1 crew. According to the History Channel, the Greenland recovery is “considered one of the greatest recoveries of aviation history.”
With the general warming trend of the Antarctic and improved weather, increased scientific presence in the area, the impeccable safety record and proven technology of the Greenland Expedition Society crew there is little doubt about the ability to reach and successfully repatriate these men.
Jerry Mullins, US Geological Survey Manager of Polar and Canadian Programs, the US Navy Casualty Office and NASA agree. Dr. Robert Bindschadler, NASA’s preeminent Antarctic field researcher, a 25-year, boots-on-the-ground Antarctic field researcher, leader of 14 field expeditions, advisor to Congress and the President of the United States, concurs about the George 1 recovery: “It’s not like we’re going to the Jupiter moon Europa. Its just Antarctica. Its just ice. Ice melts.” http://pigiceshelf.nasa.gov/
On February 15th 2008 Congressman Mark Steven Kirk (IL 10th) introduced House Concurrent Resolution 301 in response to the SECNAV repatriation rejection letter.
Crash History
On December 30th 1946, during Operation Highjump , in complete whiteout conditions and on instrument flight rules (IFR,) the PBM-5 Mariner Seaplane codenamed “George 1” “bumped” the Thurston Island’s Noville Glacier. Ignited by sparks, the PBM’s main hull fuel tank exploded as it attempted to climb and turn back out to sea. Victimized by the Antarctic’s notoriously foul-weathered Phantom Coast, the non-surviving crew Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez, Newport, RI; Frederick Warren Williams, Aviation Machinist’s Mate First Class, Huntington, TN and Wendell K. Hendersin, Aviation Radioman First Class, Sparta, WI remain where they were temporarily buried to protect them from scavenging skuas, the Antarctic seagull, beneath a specific and well-marked area under the #2 engine nacelle of the largely intact PBM-5 wing. Six fellow crewmen survived the crash and were rescued 13 days later. Adverse weather, the extreme medical need to transfer the badly burned George 1 pilot, LTJG “Frenchie” LeBlanc to the distant USS Philippine Sea and the pending departure of the Task Force, prevented the recovery of the Sailors’ remains.
US Navy Recovery History
1. 1947 George 1 survivor testimony, the content of Congressional and SECNAV James Forrestal’s 1947 responses to the family of Airman Wendell Hendersin clearly show that the crash site was not intended to be the final resting place of these Sailors.
2. According to the commander of the USS Pine Island, Captain Henry Caldwell (US Naval Academy Class of 1926 and USNA football hero who would later make Admiral) flying on the ill-fated flight as an observer, as a temporary measure, ordered the men buried to prevent the Antarctic skuas, seagull-like scavengers, from desecrating the remains.
3. Events beyond the control of Rear Admiral Richard Byrd, primarily adverse weather, the extreme medical need to transfer the George 1 pilot, LTJG “Frenchie” LeBlanc to the distant USS Philippine Sea and the pending departure of the Task Force, prevented the recovery of these remains before the task force was forced to depart the area.
4. Since the mid 1990’s the US Navy Casualty Office has fully endorsed, backed and continues to recommend the repatriation of these men. The repatriation meets all the requirements of a Non-Hostile Loss incident:
“The sole defining criteria for pursuit of remains recoveries associated with Navy Non-Hostile Loss Incidents, wherein there is a high probability of recovery of remains, has always been the safety of the members of the 'Recovery Team' that is charged with the recovery operation.”
5. Initiated by inquiries from family members and Senator Russ Feingold in the mid to late 1990s, the US Navy Casualty office requested the assistance of the US Geological Survey (USGS) to undertake a feasibility study to repatriate the non-surviving members of the George 1 crew.
6. The “George 1 Crash Analysis,” hosted by USGS in May 2001, and the “George 1 Recovery Planning Meeting” of December 2004 hosted by Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic (COMNAVAIRLANT/CNAL) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, DC, concluded that the safety factor is no different than for any Antarctic research team. It is the conclusion of these panels and the recovery team’s experience that given standard precautions and worst-case scenario preparedness it is reasonable to expect a highly successful recovery.
7. Twenty-one members of authoritative agencies, including the US Navy (CNAL), USGS, NASA, EPA, and US Navy Casualty Office and private contractors attended these meetings. (In it’s current review of the repatriation of these men the Navy did not consult with any of these experts or convene a meeting with them.)
8. In late 2004, the USGS, in conjunction with NASA, commissioned a Chilean P-3 Orion Sub Hunter at a cost of $68,000 to ‘ping’ the site with a highly specialized aerial-borne ground penetration radar (GPR) to pinpoint the George 1 location and approximate depth of the debris field. The Chilean P-3 located the debris fields approximately 30 to 50 meters below the surface and pinpointed its position to within a .5 by .5 kilometer box.
9. In 2005 CNAL Admiral Denby Starling, halted the repatriation mission due to his personal doubts in technology and safety at the time. Between 2005 and 2006 a CNAL letter issued to at least 3 family members stated:
“While resources are available... if the safety, logistical and operational prerequisites allow for a mission in the future every effort will be made to bring our sailors home.”
10. In September 2007, at the request of the surviving family members, after consultations with fellow team members, USGS, NSF, USCG, NASA, and the NYANG, Greenland Expedition Society member, Lou Sapienza, offered the Navy the proven technology and expertise of the deep glacier penetration team.
The SECNAV’s Determination:
The Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Donald Winter, caused great pain to the families, when, just 5 days before Christmas announced to the families, the Navy’s rejection of the proposal citing:
“…location, logistics support, climate in the region, potential hazard to the recovery team and cost… (and) … the difficulty and risk involved with a recovery is too great and we cannot support this operation.”
From the time the GES member submitted the proposal in September to the date of the SECNAV rejection letter at the end of December, not once did DoD contact him or the expert members of any of the previously convened panels.
A full vetting of the SECNAV’s letter reveals that his arguments are not supported by fact:
1. Location and Logistics Support:
a. The US Navy regularly landed LC-Herc-Ski-130s near Thurston Island (the G1 crash site) at a temporary base on the Abbott Ice Shelf 20 miles south of the island. Daily flights were regularly made between the Navy-Abbott Ice Sheet landing site and Thurston Island over the next 6 to 8 weeks by Twin Otter in support of the December 1984 -January 1985 mapping of Thurston Island by a joint US Antarctic Program-British Antarctic Survey party. Even though scientists still regularly visit this area misinformation from the US Navy currently states that this area is much too remote and unserviceable.
b. A NASA/CECS commissioned Chilean P-3 Orion with next generation highly sophisticated ground penetrating radar has offered, at cost for flight time only, to overfly the crash site again this season to provide more accurate data prior to the site survey.
c. Utilizing the Russian icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, a Canadian eco-tour cruise line has offered, at cost, to helicopter the experienced recovery team to the crash site as it passes within 15 miles of the crash location.
d. The National Science Foundation will have an icebreaker in the area during the 2008/2009 season to study the Pine Island glacier.
e. The Ohio University will place a science team within 58 miles of the George 1 crash site to place instrumentation on Thurston Island for Polenet (see Polenet.org), a remote data gathering and satellite uplink site.
f. US NYANG crews are fully familiar with the George 1 repatriation mission and are ready to assist if authorized.
g. USGS preliminary glacier analysis by high-resolution spectral satellite photography and initial conventional photography indicates a highly stable glacier. A very high probability exists that the George 1 site can be supported by air (Ski 130/Twin Otter/Basler T-67.)
h. USGS and the US Coast Guard further indicated that the site, located within 4 miles of the coast, is quite accessible by a passing icebreaker. Two USCG icebreakers remain largely unused in Seattle.
i. The South Korean government is considering placing a permanent base within 200 miles of the George 1/Thurston Island site.
j. The British Antarctic Service scientists camp in tents on the nearby Pine Island Glacier to monitor its melt and speed for up to 100 days @ a time.
It should be reasonable to assume that if Thurston Island is safe enough for eco tours and academic science teams, the site is safe enough for the highly experienced recovery team. The full array of Thurston Island data can be found at: http://www.polenet.org/field_sites_main/fIeld_sites_polenet_all/thurston_island/thurston_met.html
2. Climate in the Region/Potential Hazard to the Recovery Team:
a. Since 2001 the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have offered to assist the Navy in matters of safety evaluation and logistics. Conversations with USGS and NSF confirm that the Navy has never availed itself of those offerings. A conversation with JPAC’s PAO Johnie Webb on April 10th 2008 indicated that the Navy had not reviewed safety with JPAC in the Navy’s latest review of the George 1 feasibility (September-December 2007) as had been claimed by a Navy officer. BUT, a few year’s ago, Mr. Webb’s office did indicate in a conversation that “safety is a concern” but only meant it in the context that safety is an issue in any operation. Said Mr. Webb, “If anything else were interpreted from that, it was a misunderstanding.”
b. According to USGS Manager of Polar and Canadian Operations and the person responsible for hosting the 2001 “George 1 Crash Analysis,” Jerry Mullins, the weather is very much like what the Greenland Expedition Society Crew encountered in during its 7 lengthy expeditions to recover the WWII P-38 aircraft Glacier Girl. The recovery crew is quite experienced in polar survival and weathered 5 severe katabatic Arctic storms without incident or concern.
c. The recovery team is willing to assume all risks so that no Navy personnel need be sent. But similarly the recovery team is willing to go so far as to take temporary commissions in the US Navy to repatriate the George 1 crew.
3. Cost:
a. The budget submitted to the SECNAV in the recent September 2007 proposal is within the budget proposed by the COMNAVAIRLANT in 2005. 2005 Funding would have come from the NAVAIR aircraft salvage account as it did for Navy LA-9 crew recovery. However, if private resources are used the price would rise significantly.
b. “Adaptable logistics” – the use of government or private assets passing by the area (similar to “flying standby”) can save money.
c. Similarly, the use of US-TRANSCOM (USAF/USCG) military assets under the jurisdiction of NSF or their designation as “training flights” can also save substantial money over the use of private airlift contractors servicing Antarctic under authorization by National Science Foundation. USGS further indicated that other governments might also lend their assets to the recovery.
The Secretary of the Navy continued in paragraph 3:
“In accordance with Navy customs and traditions, the surviving crew members rendered appropriate burial honors. Navy tradition has been to honor the final resting place of those lost in downed ships and aircraft, the most famous example of this being the USS Arizona. The Navy considers the GEORGE 1 to be the final resting place…and we do not support disturbing or potentially desecrating their remains.
Again, a full vetting of the this paragraph reveals that these arguments are not supported by fact or DoD policy:
1. George 1 survivor testimony and the content of 1947 Congressional and SECNAV James Forrestal’s responses to the family of Airman Wendell Hendersin clearly show that the crash site was not intended to be the final resting place of these Sailors. Events beyond the control of Rear Admiral Byrd, primarily adverse weather, the extreme medical need to transfer the George 1 pilot, LTJG “Frenchie LeBlanc to the distant USS Philippine Sea and the pending departure of the Task Force, prevented the recovery of these remains before the task force was forced to depart the area.
2. The Navy has a 62-year history of recognizing the burial as temporary – until the SECNAV letter.
3. Members of the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO,) CIL/JPAC and US Navy Casualty Office unequivocally state that the comparison of the USS Arizona, a national monument authorized by Congress, is not credible.
4. In accordance with the U.S. Government's "Full Accounting Effort" using budgets already designated for recoveries, the DoD and the Military Services ongoing recovery efforts are currently engaged in the recovery and identification of remains dating back to World War II for hostile losses and operational losses and in some cases for loss incidents dating back to World War I. Various U.S. Government agencies, the Military Services (USA, USAF, USN (includes Coast Guard Losses in time of War) and the USMC), the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CIL, JPAC), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL), and the Life Science Equipment Laboratory (LSEL); actively contribute personnel, funding, material resources and military assets to assist in the recovery of US Service personnel in the event of a “shallow water loss” in accordance with the Missing Service Personnel Act (MSPA) of 1995, Title 10 USC, Sections 1501-1513, as mandated by Congress.
Non-Hostile repatriations associated with Operational Loss Incidents dating back to WWII and in some cases earlier, are also being pursued by the Military Services. Unlike Hostile Loss under the jurisdiction of CILHI/JPAC, Non- Hostile Loss incidents fall under the cognizance of the Service Secretary's Current Death Programs, Title 10 USC, Sections 1480-1483. The Department of the Navy has, however, participated in several Non-Hostile recoveries of remains, to include multiple remains recoveries from a single incident, such as the LA-9 Loss Incident of 12 January 1962 (additional remains recovered in August 2004), as well as the recovery of initial remains of Navy service members from isolated sites within the confines of the United States (i.e. State of Washington and the State of California). It is interesting to note, that the highly successful recovery of additional remains associated with the 1962 LA-9 Non-Hostile Navy Loss Incident, involving a Navy PV-1 Aircraft with twelve crewmembers aboard, was a Naval Operational Recovery effort, as assisted by a British Commercial Firm specializing in Cold Weather Operations in the Arctic, as well as, a Cold Weather Anthropologist on loan from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). The remains, aircraft artifacts, and personal effects of the twelve crewmembers associated with this Navy Loss Incident are currently undergoing the final phase of the 'Identification Process" at the Central Identification Laboratory, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), in Hawaii.
Questions
• Why, after 62 years, is the Navy doing an “about face?”
• Why did the Navy not vet circumstances and facts with the experts?
• Why would a Navy spokesperson say that the bodies of the George 1 crew are no longer with the airplane when this issue had already been resolved and debunked by NASA glaciologist Dr. Robert Bindschadler as far back as 2001, reconfirmed by him in 2008 and as is the experience of the Greenland recovery team?
• Why is the Navy going so far as to attempt to slam the door on a recovery by the families of these men by saying that not only does it reject repatriation but it rejects any private family attempt to repatriate their brothers, cousins and nephews from the temporary grave?
Additional Benefits of Repatriation
DoD/US Navy/National/Educational/Scientific
While the sole objectives of this mission are to repatriate and honor these men and to bring closure to their families after 62 years, the humanitarian, scientific, and its historical significance offers additional benefits to the US citizenry, DoD, science education and the arts:
1. Reinforcement of DoD’s commitment to its serving personnel in the event that they become a loss.
2. Scientific research:
a. Instrumentation placement for Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory and University of Ohio.
b. Deep-glacier-penetration-effect study not previously accessible to scientists by core sampling;
c. Instrumentation placement to monitor global warming, glacier movement and earth rebound from glacier melt;
d. Study by the DoD, NSF, USGS, and CILHI/JPAC for future applications of the deep glacier penetration technology.
3. Educational and scientific programming internet uplinked and distributed to schools through an American university or entity such as national Geographic;
4. High-end television documentary programming including National Geographic Television (John Bredar, executive producer), PBS (Peter Doyle, executive producer) and Oxford Scientific Films (Caroline Hawkins, executive producer - Great Britain/Australia) express interest in the production of educational/historical programming.
5. Homage paid all those servicemen ever lost and to the 4700 sailors participating in this all volunteer, hazardous duty mission, a limited release patriotic, historical film similar to the recent Clint Eastwood production of Flags of our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima.
Warner Brothers and the History Channel are licensing the rights, gratis, of their productions to help promote the recovery. Warner Brothers will license the 1948 Academy Award winning film “The Secret Land” documenting Operation Highjump and the crash and rescue of the George 1 survivors while the History Channel has licensed “The Hunt for the Lost Squadron” depicting the technology used to melt into the glacier.
WIN/WIN
The repatriation of Ensign Max Lopez, Airmen Wendell Hendersin and Fred Williams honors their memory and service to their country. The benefits and positive publicity gained from the recovery are limitless and will continue to pay dividends far into the future and far, far in excess of any investment.
US Navy “George 1” Antarctic Crash (1946) (revised)
Repatriation Brief
The George One Recovery Team is committed to the safe and successful recovery of three US Navy Air Crewmen killed when their PBM-5 Mariner, codenamed “George 1,” crashed during Admiral Richard Byrd’s 1946-47 Operation Highjump expedition. Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez, Frederick Warren Williams, and Wendell K. Hendersin were the first Americans to perish on the Antarctic Continent and remain buried 150 feet below the surface of Antarctic’s infamous Phantom Coast located on the Noville Glacier.
On 20 December 2007, the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Donald Winter in a letter to the men’s families, reversed a 62-year-old Navy commitment to repatriate the crew of the Operation Highjump George 1 crew.
The letter, issued just days before Christmas, stunned the surviving family members as it appears the rejection reversed the promises the Navy made to the families and was made outside the policies and procedures of DoD.
The Secretary of the Navy rejected the comprehensive plan that contained the last remaining elements the Navy itself said it needed, as late as 2006, to recover the ill-fated crew from their temporary Antarctic grave. Crash survivors buried the men beneath a specific and well-marked area under the #2 engine nacelle of the largely intact PBM-5 wing as a temporary measure to protect them from scavenging seagull-like skuas. The men now lie up to 150 feet below the accumulating snows of Thurston Island. (Latitude 98.8W Longitude 71.8S.)
A full vetting of the rejection letter reveals that SECNAV argued incorrect facts and policies. Those charged with creating the letter for the SECNAV’s signature appear unaware of the complete history of the proposed recovery plans, Antarctic conditions, logistics or the promises the Navy made to the families.
The George One Recovery Team executive director and expedition leader with the assistance of Senator Patty Murray (WA) is attempting to meet with Navy the to discuss the actual facts and policies that follow below.
Should the Navy not reverse its decision the families and the recovery team are, once funding is obtained, determined to conduct a private recovery that will utilize the assets of Russia and Canada.
The Navy’s Promise
In 2005, under the tenure of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the Navy was to attempt a recovery but lacked sufficient safety and technological elements. Since that time COMNAVAIRLANT (CNAL), has maintained that a safe and proven technology remained the only missing elements in the repatriation of the George 1, Operation Highjump Crew. Between 2005 and 2006 a CNAL letter issued to at least 3 family members stated:
“While resources are available... if the safety, logistical and operational prerequisites allow for a mission in the future every effort will be made to bring our sailors home.”
The Current Plan
In September 2007, at the request of more that 40 surviving family members, a member of the Greenland Expedition Society (GES) submitted a 23 page proposal to the SECDEF Robert Gates, DEPSECDEF Gordon England and SECNAV Donald Winter with the last remaining technological and safety elements the Navy said it needed (in 2005) to successfully repatriate the men. GES, a group of private individuals from all walks of life developed the unique, simple and unprecedented technology and without incident, melted a 27-story, 4 foot diameter shaft, and opened a 200 square foot cavern with the Greenland ice sheet to successfully recovered a WWII P38 Lighting fighter (aka Glacier Girl) – this at almost twice the depth of the George 1 crew. According to the History Channel, the Greenland recovery is “considered one of the greatest recoveries of aviation history.”
With the general warming trend of the Antarctic and improved weather, increased scientific presence in the area, the impeccable safety record and proven technology of the Greenland Expedition Society crew there is little doubt about the ability to reach and successfully repatriate these men.
Jerry Mullins, US Geological Survey Manager of Polar and Canadian Programs, the US Navy Casualty Office and NASA agree. Dr. Robert Bindschadler, NASA’s preeminent Antarctic field researcher, a 25-year, boots-on-the-ground Antarctic field researcher, leader of 14 field expeditions, advisor to Congress and the President of the United States, concurs about the George 1 recovery: “It’s not like we’re going to the Jupiter moon Europa. Its just Antarctica. Its just ice. Ice melts.” http://pigiceshelf.nasa.gov/
On February 15th 2008 Congressman Mark Steven Kirk (IL 10th) introduced House Concurrent Resolution 301 in response to the SECNAV repatriation rejection letter.
Crash History
On December 30th 1946, during Operation Highjump , in complete whiteout conditions and on instrument flight rules (IFR,) the PBM-5 Mariner Seaplane codenamed “George 1” “bumped” the Thurston Island’s Noville Glacier. Ignited by sparks, the PBM’s main hull fuel tank exploded as it attempted to climb and turn back out to sea. Victimized by the Antarctic’s notoriously foul-weathered Phantom Coast, the non-surviving crew Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez, Newport, RI; Frederick Warren Williams, Aviation Machinist’s Mate First Class, Huntington, TN and Wendell K. Hendersin, Aviation Radioman First Class, Sparta, WI remain where they were temporarily buried to protect them from scavenging skuas, the Antarctic seagull, beneath a specific and well-marked area under the #2 engine nacelle of the largely intact PBM-5 wing. Six fellow crewmen survived the crash and were rescued 13 days later. Adverse weather, the extreme medical need to transfer the badly burned George 1 pilot, LTJG “Frenchie” LeBlanc to the distant USS Philippine Sea and the pending departure of the Task Force, prevented the recovery of the Sailors’ remains.
US Navy Recovery History
1. 1947 George 1 survivor testimony, the content of Congressional and SECNAV James Forrestal’s 1947 responses to the family of Airman Wendell Hendersin clearly show that the crash site was not intended to be the final resting place of these Sailors.
2. According to the commander of the USS Pine Island, Captain Henry Caldwell (US Naval Academy Class of 1926 and USNA football hero who would later make Admiral) flying on the ill-fated flight as an observer, as a temporary measure, ordered the men buried to prevent the Antarctic skuas, seagull-like scavengers, from desecrating the remains.
3. Events beyond the control of Rear Admiral Richard Byrd, primarily adverse weather, the extreme medical need to transfer the George 1 pilot, LTJG “Frenchie” LeBlanc to the distant USS Philippine Sea and the pending departure of the Task Force, prevented the recovery of these remains before the task force was forced to depart the area.
4. Since the mid 1990’s the US Navy Casualty Office has fully endorsed, backed and continues to recommend the repatriation of these men. The repatriation meets all the requirements of a Non-Hostile Loss incident:
“The sole defining criteria for pursuit of remains recoveries associated with Navy Non-Hostile Loss Incidents, wherein there is a high probability of recovery of remains, has always been the safety of the members of the 'Recovery Team' that is charged with the recovery operation.”
5. Initiated by inquiries from family members and Senator Russ Feingold in the mid to late 1990s, the US Navy Casualty office requested the assistance of the US Geological Survey (USGS) to undertake a feasibility study to repatriate the non-surviving members of the George 1 crew.
6. The “George 1 Crash Analysis,” hosted by USGS in May 2001, and the “George 1 Recovery Planning Meeting” of December 2004 hosted by Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic (COMNAVAIRLANT/CNAL) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, DC, concluded that the safety factor is no different than for any Antarctic research team. It is the conclusion of these panels and the recovery team’s experience that given standard precautions and worst-case scenario preparedness it is reasonable to expect a highly successful recovery.
7. Twenty-one members of authoritative agencies, including the US Navy (CNAL), USGS, NASA, EPA, and US Navy Casualty Office and private contractors attended these meetings. (In it’s current review of the repatriation of these men the Navy did not consult with any of these experts or convene a meeting with them.)
8. In late 2004, the USGS, in conjunction with NASA, commissioned a Chilean P-3 Orion Sub Hunter at a cost of $68,000 to ‘ping’ the site with a highly specialized aerial-borne ground penetration radar (GPR) to pinpoint the George 1 location and approximate depth of the debris field. The Chilean P-3 located the debris fields approximately 30 to 50 meters below the surface and pinpointed its position to within a .5 by .5 kilometer box.
9. In 2005 CNAL Admiral Denby Starling, halted the repatriation mission due to his personal doubts in technology and safety at the time. Between 2005 and 2006 a CNAL letter issued to at least 3 family members stated:
“While resources are available... if the safety, logistical and operational prerequisites allow for a mission in the future every effort will be made to bring our sailors home.”
10. In September 2007, at the request of the surviving family members, after consultations with fellow team members, USGS, NSF, USCG, NASA, and the NYANG, Greenland Expedition Society member, Lou Sapienza, offered the Navy the proven technology and expertise of the deep glacier penetration team.
The SECNAV’s Determination:
The Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Donald Winter, caused great pain to the families, when, just 5 days before Christmas announced to the families, the Navy’s rejection of the proposal citing:
“…location, logistics support, climate in the region, potential hazard to the recovery team and cost… (and) … the difficulty and risk involved with a recovery is too great and we cannot support this operation.”
From the time the GES member submitted the proposal in September to the date of the SECNAV rejection letter at the end of December, not once did DoD contact him or the expert members of any of the previously convened panels.
A full vetting of the SECNAV’s letter reveals that his arguments are not supported by fact:
1. Location and Logistics Support:
a. The US Navy regularly landed LC-Herc-Ski-130s near Thurston Island (the G1 crash site) at a temporary base on the Abbott Ice Shelf 20 miles south of the island. Daily flights were regularly made between the Navy-Abbott Ice Sheet landing site and Thurston Island over the next 6 to 8 weeks by Twin Otter in support of the December 1984 -January 1985 mapping of Thurston Island by a joint US Antarctic Program-British Antarctic Survey party. Even though scientists still regularly visit this area misinformation from the US Navy currently states that this area is much too remote and unserviceable.
b. A NASA/CECS commissioned Chilean P-3 Orion with next generation highly sophisticated ground penetrating radar has offered, at cost for flight time only, to overfly the crash site again this season to provide more accurate data prior to the site survey.
c. Utilizing the Russian icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, a Canadian eco-tour cruise line has offered, at cost, to helicopter the experienced recovery team to the crash site as it passes within 15 miles of the crash location.
d. The National Science Foundation will have an icebreaker in the area during the 2008/2009 season to study the Pine Island glacier.
e. The Ohio University will place a science team within 58 miles of the George 1 crash site to place instrumentation on Thurston Island for Polenet (see Polenet.org), a remote data gathering and satellite uplink site.
f. US NYANG crews are fully familiar with the George 1 repatriation mission and are ready to assist if authorized.
g. USGS preliminary glacier analysis by high-resolution spectral satellite photography and initial conventional photography indicates a highly stable glacier. A very high probability exists that the George 1 site can be supported by air (Ski 130/Twin Otter/Basler T-67.)
h. USGS and the US Coast Guard further indicated that the site, located within 4 miles of the coast, is quite accessible by a passing icebreaker. Two USCG icebreakers remain largely unused in Seattle.
i. The South Korean government is considering placing a permanent base within 200 miles of the George 1/Thurston Island site.
j. The British Antarctic Service scientists camp in tents on the nearby Pine Island Glacier to monitor its melt and speed for up to 100 days @ a time.
It should be reasonable to assume that if Thurston Island is safe enough for eco tours and academic science teams, the site is safe enough for the highly experienced recovery team. The full array of Thurston Island data can be found at: http://www.polenet.org/field_sites_main/fIeld_sites_polenet_all/thurston_island/thurston_met.html
2. Climate in the Region/Potential Hazard to the Recovery Team:
a. Since 2001 the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have offered to assist the Navy in matters of safety evaluation and logistics. Conversations with USGS and NSF confirm that the Navy has never availed itself of those offerings. A conversation with JPAC’s PAO Johnie Webb on April 10th 2008 indicated that the Navy had not reviewed safety with JPAC in the Navy’s latest review of the George 1 feasibility (September-December 2007) as had been claimed by a Navy officer. BUT, a few year’s ago, Mr. Webb’s office did indicate in a conversation that “safety is a concern” but only meant it in the context that safety is an issue in any operation. Said Mr. Webb, “If anything else were interpreted from that, it was a misunderstanding.”
b. According to USGS Manager of Polar and Canadian Operations and the person responsible for hosting the 2001 “George 1 Crash Analysis,” Jerry Mullins, the weather is very much like what the Greenland Expedition Society Crew encountered in during its 7 lengthy expeditions to recover the WWII P-38 aircraft Glacier Girl. The recovery crew is quite experienced in polar survival and weathered 5 severe katabatic Arctic storms without incident or concern.
c. The recovery team is willing to assume all risks so that no Navy personnel need be sent. But similarly the recovery team is willing to go so far as to take temporary commissions in the US Navy to repatriate the George 1 crew.
3. Cost:
a. The budget submitted to the SECNAV in the recent September 2007 proposal is within the budget proposed by the COMNAVAIRLANT in 2005. 2005 Funding would have come from the NAVAIR aircraft salvage account as it did for Navy LA-9 crew recovery. However, if private resources are used the price would rise significantly.
b. “Adaptable logistics” – the use of government or private assets passing by the area (similar to “flying standby”) can save money.
c. Similarly, the use of US-TRANSCOM (USAF/USCG) military assets under the jurisdiction of NSF or their designation as “training flights” can also save substantial money over the use of private airlift contractors servicing Antarctic under authorization by National Science Foundation. USGS further indicated that other governments might also lend their assets to the recovery.
The Secretary of the Navy continued in paragraph 3:
“In accordance with Navy customs and traditions, the surviving crew members rendered appropriate burial honors. Navy tradition has been to honor the final resting place of those lost in downed ships and aircraft, the most famous example of this being the USS Arizona. The Navy considers the GEORGE 1 to be the final resting place…and we do not support disturbing or potentially desecrating their remains.
Again, a full vetting of the this paragraph reveals that these arguments are not supported by fact or DoD policy:
1. George 1 survivor testimony and the content of 1947 Congressional and SECNAV James Forrestal’s responses to the family of Airman Wendell Hendersin clearly show that the crash site was not intended to be the final resting place of these Sailors. Events beyond the control of Rear Admiral Byrd, primarily adverse weather, the extreme medical need to transfer the George 1 pilot, LTJG “Frenchie LeBlanc to the distant USS Philippine Sea and the pending departure of the Task Force, prevented the recovery of these remains before the task force was forced to depart the area.
2. The Navy has a 62-year history of recognizing the burial as temporary – until the SECNAV letter.
3. Members of the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO,) CIL/JPAC and US Navy Casualty Office unequivocally state that the comparison of the USS Arizona, a national monument authorized by Congress, is not credible.
4. In accordance with the U.S. Government's "Full Accounting Effort" using budgets already designated for recoveries, the DoD and the Military Services ongoing recovery efforts are currently engaged in the recovery and identification of remains dating back to World War II for hostile losses and operational losses and in some cases for loss incidents dating back to World War I. Various U.S. Government agencies, the Military Services (USA, USAF, USN (includes Coast Guard Losses in time of War) and the USMC), the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CIL, JPAC), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL), and the Life Science Equipment Laboratory (LSEL); actively contribute personnel, funding, material resources and military assets to assist in the recovery of US Service personnel in the event of a “shallow water loss” in accordance with the Missing Service Personnel Act (MSPA) of 1995, Title 10 USC, Sections 1501-1513, as mandated by Congress.
Non-Hostile repatriations associated with Operational Loss Incidents dating back to WWII and in some cases earlier, are also being pursued by the Military Services. Unlike Hostile Loss under the jurisdiction of CILHI/JPAC, Non- Hostile Loss incidents fall under the cognizance of the Service Secretary's Current Death Programs, Title 10 USC, Sections 1480-1483. The Department of the Navy has, however, participated in several Non-Hostile recoveries of remains, to include multiple remains recoveries from a single incident, such as the LA-9 Loss Incident of 12 January 1962 (additional remains recovered in August 2004), as well as the recovery of initial remains of Navy service members from isolated sites within the confines of the United States (i.e. State of Washington and the State of California). It is interesting to note, that the highly successful recovery of additional remains associated with the 1962 LA-9 Non-Hostile Navy Loss Incident, involving a Navy PV-1 Aircraft with twelve crewmembers aboard, was a Naval Operational Recovery effort, as assisted by a British Commercial Firm specializing in Cold Weather Operations in the Arctic, as well as, a Cold Weather Anthropologist on loan from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). The remains, aircraft artifacts, and personal effects of the twelve crewmembers associated with this Navy Loss Incident are currently undergoing the final phase of the 'Identification Process" at the Central Identification Laboratory, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), in Hawaii.
Questions
• Why, after 62 years, is the Navy doing an “about face?”
• Why did the Navy not vet circumstances and facts with the experts?
• Why would a Navy spokesperson say that the bodies of the George 1 crew are no longer with the airplane when this issue had already been resolved and debunked by NASA glaciologist Dr. Robert Bindschadler as far back as 2001, reconfirmed by him in 2008 and as is the experience of the Greenland recovery team?
• Why is the Navy going so far as to attempt to slam the door on a recovery by the families of these men by saying that not only does it reject repatriation but it rejects any private family attempt to repatriate their brothers, cousins and nephews from the temporary grave?
Additional Benefits of Repatriation
DoD/US Navy/National/Educational/Scientific
While the sole objectives of this mission are to repatriate and honor these men and to bring closure to their families after 62 years, the humanitarian, scientific, and its historical significance offers additional benefits to the US citizenry, DoD, science education and the arts:
1. Reinforcement of DoD’s commitment to its serving personnel in the event that they become a loss.
2. Scientific research:
a. Instrumentation placement for Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory and University of Ohio.
b. Deep-glacier-penetration-effect study not previously accessible to scientists by core sampling;
c. Instrumentation placement to monitor global warming, glacier movement and earth rebound from glacier melt;
d. Study by the DoD, NSF, USGS, and CILHI/JPAC for future applications of the deep glacier penetration technology.
3. Educational and scientific programming internet uplinked and distributed to schools through an American university or entity such as national Geographic;
4. High-end television documentary programming including National Geographic Television (John Bredar, executive producer), PBS (Peter Doyle, executive producer) and Oxford Scientific Films (Caroline Hawkins, executive producer - Great Britain/Australia) express interest in the production of educational/historical programming.
5. Homage paid all those servicemen ever lost and to the 4700 sailors participating in this all volunteer, hazardous duty mission, a limited release patriotic, historical film similar to the recent Clint Eastwood production of Flags of our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima.
Warner Brothers and the History Channel are licensing the rights, gratis, of their productions to help promote the recovery. Warner Brothers will license the 1948 Academy Award winning film “The Secret Land” documenting Operation Highjump and the crash and rescue of the George 1 survivors while the History Channel has licensed “The Hunt for the Lost Squadron” depicting the technology used to melt into the glacier.
WIN/WIN
The repatriation of Ensign Max Lopez, Airmen Wendell Hendersin and Fred Williams honors their memory and service to their country. The benefits and positive publicity gained from the recovery are limitless and will continue to pay dividends far into the future and far, far in excess of any investment.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
In Response to a George One "Anonymous" Comment
The George One Blog recently received the following comment from an anonymous poster. Unfortunately neither the poster nor the general public are familiar with the laws and policies of the United States of America and the Department of Defense in regard to the loss of our servicemen and women and the recovery of their remains.
I want to thank the anonymous poster for giving me and others the opportunity to clarify these laws and policies for the general public, the decision makers in the Pentagon and our Congressional lawmakers.
The Anonymous Comment:
“The argument that you are advancing to recover these crewmen oversimplifies the issue. There are plenty of known wrecks of US ships whose crewmen had no burial since they were lost in combat, sometimes with all hands. To what extent do you propose the government and the Navy expend resources to recover crewmen from USS Arizona, USS Utah, USS Vincennes, USS Quincy, USS Astoria, USS Grunion, USS Wahoo, USS Lagarto, and dozens of other wrecks, all of which are known and arguably more accessible? I might be more inclined to agree with the George One recovery if the plane had crashed with no survivors and they had never been buried. The fact of the matter is that the burial by their shipmates was fitting and akin to burial at sea, a common practice in that era. Let them rest.”
The Reply To Anonymous
From researched information compiled by Lou Sapienza and others.
The Short Reply
With the intention of bringing their fallen comrades home, the survivors of the George One Crew placed their crewmates in a temporary grave to prevent scavenging birds from desecrating their remains. The temporary grave was marked with steel piping to ensure ease of locating the site with magnetometers when a return recovery crew arrived. The Captain of the USS Pine Island, Captain Caldwell a distinguished US Naval Academy alum, and who would later go on to become a Rear Admiral, did not finish a formal burial ceremony due to the fact that the original intent was to bring these men home. Had it not been for the severe injuries of the pilot, Frenchie LeBlanc, and the need to get him transferred to the carrier USS Philippine Sea and on to a hospital, the men would have sledded their fallen comrades back to the rescue aircraft. One survivor, now well into his 80s, maintains that to this day that this was the plan. James “Robbie” Robbins still actively works to bring his crewmates home.
Those of the George One crew that did not survive are perfectly preserved, frozen in time in the glacier that claimed them. Since 1947 it has been the request of the families that their brothers, uncles and cousins be brought home. According to US Navy documents it was the intent of Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, commander of the expedition, to recover these men. Had it not been that weather precluded a recovery they would have been returned.
In regard to accessibility of other losses: The USS Vincennes is located in over 2985 feet of water, the USS Grunion in over 2000 feet of water and are hardy accessible. In all the above cases that you mention, the natural process of the seas has assimilated the remains of the casualties into the vast sea. In these instances the remains of the officers and crew no longer exist for recovery. In contrast, in the case of George One, the remains of the men are perfectly preserved.
The Long, Thorough Reply
Anonymous Raises (3) Arguments:
1. Deep Water Losses: This issue involves hostile losses during past wars and conflicts, whereby ships registered to the U.S. Government were victims of enemy combatants. What is significant and should be stressed is these Loss Incidents do not pertain to U.S. Naval Vessels/Aircraft exclusively. During WWII for instance, Naval Ships/Aircraft (to include Navy and Marine Corps aircraft), Army Troop Carriers/Aircraft, Merchant Ships, which included detachments of U.S. Army and U.S. Navy Armed Guards and vessels owned by U.S. Government & Allies all suffered 'Deep Water Losses'. With the advent of the Cold War, Korean War, the Vietnam War and Desert Storm (Gulf War), the U.S. Government and its Allies would see further losses over 'Deep Water'. Department of Defense (DoD) policy concerning 'Under Water Excavations', clearly distinguishes between shipping and aircraft losses along coastal waters, which potentially can be excavated, if the wreckage can be located and American service members are still listed as Unaccounted-For; and shipping and aircraft losses known to have been lost over deep water. In keeping with naval traditions, DoD concurs with the international community that these sites will immediately classified as "Maritime Grave Sites", coming under the protection of 'International and U.S. laws', once the site is independently verified by the U.S. Government. This also is the current policy of the Department of the Navy, which was exercised most recently with the finding of the final resting place of the USS LAGARTO and the USS WAHOO, both U.S. submarines lost during WWII. The most recent finding by independently sources is the USS Grunion, which is currently undergoing independent verification by the Naval Historical Center, Washington D.C. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) has and will conduct 'Underwater Excavations' of Hostile Loss Incidents involving American aircraft and shipwrecks in shadow water along coastlines, islands and river tributaries, whenever new and creditable information is received that confirms the resting sites of these vessels. Some of the more recent underwater excavations involve the recovery of remains of Navy pilots and other crewmembers associated with Vietnam Loss Incidents. Through Congressional Law the tight control that the US Navy maintains over crash sites through the US Navy Historical Center and its permit procedure and/or claims to recovered aircraft in both shallow and deep water losses is intended to protect the remains of air crewmen, sailors and officers that perished in those losses from cargo plunderers and aircraft salvagers.
2. National Memorials: Both the USS ARIZONA and the USS UTAH, were victims of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor of 7 December 1941. Unlike the USS OKLAHOMA, which capsized and was eventually salvaged in March 1943, the USS ARIZONA and the USS UTAH were left in place and subsequently designated 'National Memorials' to honor not only crewmembers, who are listed as Unaccounted-For', but all American service men killed during the attack. Ironically, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) is currently conducting limited disinterments of "Unknown Grave Sites", which contain remains of Sailors who were killed during the attack on Pear Harbor and whose remains were subsequently buried at the National Cemetery of the Pacific (aka "Punch Bowl"). The Associations for the USS ARIZONA and USS OKLAHOMA have been the primary impetus behind these disinterments, having conducted extensive research, which identified the grave sites associated with known 'Battle Losses' associated with the Pearl Harbor Attack. Excerpts from the USS ARIZONA Memorial and USS UTAH Memorial websites, listed below, provide additional information concerning the establishment of these memorials.
USS ARIZONA:
"The USS Arizona Memorial grew out of wartime desire to establish a memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor those who died in the attack. Suggestions for such a memorial began in 1943, but it wasn't until 1949, when the Territory of Hawaii established the Pacific War Memorial Commission, that the first real steps were taken to bring it about.
Initial recognition came in 1950 when Admiral Arthur Radford, Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC), ordered that a flagpole be erected over the sunken battleship. On the ninth anniversary of the attack, a commemorative plaque was placed at the base of the flagpole.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who helped achieve Allied victory in Europe during World War II, approved the creation of the Memorial in 1958. Its construction was completed in 1961 with public funds appropriated by Congress and private donations. The Memorial was dedicated in 1962 in commemoration of the 1177 Officers and Enlisted crewmembers, who are entombed therein."
USS UTAH:
"In about 1950, two modest memorials were erected on and near the remains of USS Utah, which had been left where they lay after the 1943-44 effort that partially righted the capsized ship. http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/pearlhbr/ph-ut9.htm These memorials consisted of a plaque, mounted on the wharf just to the north of the ship's remains, and another plaque placed on the wreck's superstructure deck.
The first plaque bore the inscription: "Near this spot, at Berth Fox 11, on the morning of 7 December 1941, the USS Utah was struck on the portside with what is believed to have been three aerial torpedoes and was sunk. She was subsequently rolled over to clear the channel but was left on the bottom." The second plaque read: "In Memory - Officers and Men - USS Utah - Lost in Action - 7 December 1941"
These plaques were subsequently overshadowed by the far more visible and accessible USS Arizona Memorial http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-a/bb39-v.htm, and in 1972 a larger memorial to the USS Utah was dedicated just off the Ford Island shoreline, a short distance from where the ship lies. Currently, construction of a new/larger 'Memorial' is underway to commemorate the memory of the 56 Officers and Enlisted crew members, who are still listed as unaccounted for.
3. The 'George One Loss Incident' of 30 December 1946', is officially classified as a Cold War Non-Hostile Loss Incident - most likely the very first Cold War Loss Incident on record. The Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) @ the Pentagon also classifies it as the last loss of WWII. The loss is Associated with Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, USN, and his fourth Antarctic Expedition, Operation Highjump, the mission of the George One and her sister aircraft, the George Two and George Three, was to map the coast line of the Antarctic and to identify suitable building sites for Naval Bases, should the dictates of the Cold War so warrant. Survivor testimony and the content of the 1947 Congressional responses to the family of Aviation Radioman First Class Wendell Keith Hendersin, USN; clearly indicate that the temporary burial of Ensign Maxwell Albert Lopez, USNR; Aviation Machinist's Mate First Class Frederick Warren Williams, USN; and Aviation Radioman First Class Wendell Keith Hendersin, USN; was not intended to be the final resting place of these Sailors. Events beyond the control of Rear Admiral Byrd, primarily adverse weather and the pending departure of the Task Force, prevented the recovery of these remains before the task force was forced to depart the area. With the advent the U.S. Government's "Full Accounting Effort", which stood up in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the Department of Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) became the sole focal point for recovery and identification of remains associated with Hostile Losses dating back to the beginning of WWII, in accordance with the Missing Service Personnel Act (MSPA) of 1995, Title 10 USC, Sections 1501-1513, as mandated by Congress. To support this effort, various U.S. Government agencies, the Military Services (USA, USAF, USN (includes Coast Guard Losses in time of War) and the USMC), the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CIL, JPAC), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL), and the Life Science Equipment Laboratory (LSEL); actively contribute personnel, funding, material resources and military assets to assist in this endeavor. Non-Hostile recovery of remains associated with Operational Loss Incidents dating back to WWII and in some cases even earlier, are also being pursued by the Military Services, although this effort is under the cognizance of the Service Secretary's Current Death Programs, Title 10 USC, Sections 1480-1483. The Department of the Navy has participated in several Non-Hostile recoveries of remains, to include additional remains recoveries, such as the LA-9 Loss Incident of 12 January 1962 (additional remains recovered in August 2004), as well as the recovery of initial remains of Navy service members from isolated sites within the confines of the United States (i.e. State of Washington and the State of California). The sole defining criteria for pursuit of remains recoveries associated with Navy Non-Hostile Loss Incidents, wherein there is a high probability of recovery of remains, has always been the safety of the members of the 'Recovery Team' that is charged with the recovery operation. It is interesting to note, that the highly successful recovery of additional remains associated with the 1962 LA-9 Non-Hostile Navy Loss Incident, involving a Navy PV-1 Aircraft with twelve crew members aboard, was a Naval Operational Recovery effort, as assisted by a British Commercial Firm specializing in Cold Weather Operations in the Arctic, as well as, a Cold Weather Anthropologist on loan from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). The remains, aircraft artifacts, and personal effects of the twelve crew members associated with this Navy Loss Incident are currently undergoing the final phase of the 'Identification Process" at the Central Identification Laboratory, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), in Hawaii.
Those individuals within the Department of the Navy, who take the perspective that the Secretary of the Navy does not have an obligation to the families of Navy Unaccounted-for Service Members, stand in direct contradiction to the very premise of the U.S. Government's "Full Accounting Effort" (Hostile Loss Incidents), Public Law (Hostile & Non-Hostile Loss Incidents), and the very principles on which service to the Department of the Navy is base: Honor, Courage and Commitment (excerpt from the Sailor's Creed). These Sailors are our comrades, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country from known and potential aggressors. Regardless of whether the loss was due to hostile enemy fire, mechanical problems or severe weather, they were put in "Harms Way" and deserve no less than our very best effort to recover their remains, whenever the opportunity is presented. To do anything less, would demean the sacrifices that these men and women made on behalf of our Nation and especially the United States Navy, for whom they proudly served and died!
I want to thank the anonymous poster for giving me and others the opportunity to clarify these laws and policies for the general public, the decision makers in the Pentagon and our Congressional lawmakers.
The Anonymous Comment:
“The argument that you are advancing to recover these crewmen oversimplifies the issue. There are plenty of known wrecks of US ships whose crewmen had no burial since they were lost in combat, sometimes with all hands. To what extent do you propose the government and the Navy expend resources to recover crewmen from USS Arizona, USS Utah, USS Vincennes, USS Quincy, USS Astoria, USS Grunion, USS Wahoo, USS Lagarto, and dozens of other wrecks, all of which are known and arguably more accessible? I might be more inclined to agree with the George One recovery if the plane had crashed with no survivors and they had never been buried. The fact of the matter is that the burial by their shipmates was fitting and akin to burial at sea, a common practice in that era. Let them rest.”
The Reply To Anonymous
From researched information compiled by Lou Sapienza and others.
The Short Reply
With the intention of bringing their fallen comrades home, the survivors of the George One Crew placed their crewmates in a temporary grave to prevent scavenging birds from desecrating their remains. The temporary grave was marked with steel piping to ensure ease of locating the site with magnetometers when a return recovery crew arrived. The Captain of the USS Pine Island, Captain Caldwell a distinguished US Naval Academy alum, and who would later go on to become a Rear Admiral, did not finish a formal burial ceremony due to the fact that the original intent was to bring these men home. Had it not been for the severe injuries of the pilot, Frenchie LeBlanc, and the need to get him transferred to the carrier USS Philippine Sea and on to a hospital, the men would have sledded their fallen comrades back to the rescue aircraft. One survivor, now well into his 80s, maintains that to this day that this was the plan. James “Robbie” Robbins still actively works to bring his crewmates home.
Those of the George One crew that did not survive are perfectly preserved, frozen in time in the glacier that claimed them. Since 1947 it has been the request of the families that their brothers, uncles and cousins be brought home. According to US Navy documents it was the intent of Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, commander of the expedition, to recover these men. Had it not been that weather precluded a recovery they would have been returned.
In regard to accessibility of other losses: The USS Vincennes is located in over 2985 feet of water, the USS Grunion in over 2000 feet of water and are hardy accessible. In all the above cases that you mention, the natural process of the seas has assimilated the remains of the casualties into the vast sea. In these instances the remains of the officers and crew no longer exist for recovery. In contrast, in the case of George One, the remains of the men are perfectly preserved.
The Long, Thorough Reply
Anonymous Raises (3) Arguments:
1. Deep Water Losses: This issue involves hostile losses during past wars and conflicts, whereby ships registered to the U.S. Government were victims of enemy combatants. What is significant and should be stressed is these Loss Incidents do not pertain to U.S. Naval Vessels/Aircraft exclusively. During WWII for instance, Naval Ships/Aircraft (to include Navy and Marine Corps aircraft), Army Troop Carriers/Aircraft, Merchant Ships, which included detachments of U.S. Army and U.S. Navy Armed Guards and vessels owned by U.S. Government & Allies all suffered 'Deep Water Losses'. With the advent of the Cold War, Korean War, the Vietnam War and Desert Storm (Gulf War), the U.S. Government and its Allies would see further losses over 'Deep Water'. Department of Defense (DoD) policy concerning 'Under Water Excavations', clearly distinguishes between shipping and aircraft losses along coastal waters, which potentially can be excavated, if the wreckage can be located and American service members are still listed as Unaccounted-For; and shipping and aircraft losses known to have been lost over deep water. In keeping with naval traditions, DoD concurs with the international community that these sites will immediately classified as "Maritime Grave Sites", coming under the protection of 'International and U.S. laws', once the site is independently verified by the U.S. Government. This also is the current policy of the Department of the Navy, which was exercised most recently with the finding of the final resting place of the USS LAGARTO and the USS WAHOO, both U.S. submarines lost during WWII. The most recent finding by independently sources is the USS Grunion, which is currently undergoing independent verification by the Naval Historical Center, Washington D.C. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) has and will conduct 'Underwater Excavations' of Hostile Loss Incidents involving American aircraft and shipwrecks in shadow water along coastlines, islands and river tributaries, whenever new and creditable information is received that confirms the resting sites of these vessels. Some of the more recent underwater excavations involve the recovery of remains of Navy pilots and other crewmembers associated with Vietnam Loss Incidents. Through Congressional Law the tight control that the US Navy maintains over crash sites through the US Navy Historical Center and its permit procedure and/or claims to recovered aircraft in both shallow and deep water losses is intended to protect the remains of air crewmen, sailors and officers that perished in those losses from cargo plunderers and aircraft salvagers.
2. National Memorials: Both the USS ARIZONA and the USS UTAH, were victims of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor of 7 December 1941. Unlike the USS OKLAHOMA, which capsized and was eventually salvaged in March 1943, the USS ARIZONA and the USS UTAH were left in place and subsequently designated 'National Memorials' to honor not only crewmembers, who are listed as Unaccounted-For', but all American service men killed during the attack. Ironically, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) is currently conducting limited disinterments of "Unknown Grave Sites", which contain remains of Sailors who were killed during the attack on Pear Harbor and whose remains were subsequently buried at the National Cemetery of the Pacific (aka "Punch Bowl"). The Associations for the USS ARIZONA and USS OKLAHOMA have been the primary impetus behind these disinterments, having conducted extensive research, which identified the grave sites associated with known 'Battle Losses' associated with the Pearl Harbor Attack. Excerpts from the USS ARIZONA Memorial and USS UTAH Memorial websites, listed below, provide additional information concerning the establishment of these memorials.
USS ARIZONA:
"The USS Arizona Memorial grew out of wartime desire to establish a memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor those who died in the attack. Suggestions for such a memorial began in 1943, but it wasn't until 1949, when the Territory of Hawaii established the Pacific War Memorial Commission, that the first real steps were taken to bring it about.
Initial recognition came in 1950 when Admiral Arthur Radford, Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC), ordered that a flagpole be erected over the sunken battleship. On the ninth anniversary of the attack, a commemorative plaque was placed at the base of the flagpole.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who helped achieve Allied victory in Europe during World War II, approved the creation of the Memorial in 1958. Its construction was completed in 1961 with public funds appropriated by Congress and private donations. The Memorial was dedicated in 1962 in commemoration of the 1177 Officers and Enlisted crewmembers, who are entombed therein."
USS UTAH:
"In about 1950, two modest memorials were erected on and near the remains of USS Utah, which had been left where they lay after the 1943-44 effort that partially righted the capsized ship. http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/pearlhbr/ph-ut9.htm These memorials consisted of a plaque, mounted on the wharf just to the north of the ship's remains, and another plaque placed on the wreck's superstructure deck.
The first plaque bore the inscription: "Near this spot, at Berth Fox 11, on the morning of 7 December 1941, the USS Utah was struck on the portside with what is believed to have been three aerial torpedoes and was sunk. She was subsequently rolled over to clear the channel but was left on the bottom." The second plaque read: "In Memory - Officers and Men - USS Utah - Lost in Action - 7 December 1941"
These plaques were subsequently overshadowed by the far more visible and accessible USS Arizona Memorial http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-a/bb39-v.htm, and in 1972 a larger memorial to the USS Utah was dedicated just off the Ford Island shoreline, a short distance from where the ship lies. Currently, construction of a new/larger 'Memorial' is underway to commemorate the memory of the 56 Officers and Enlisted crew members, who are still listed as unaccounted for.
3. The 'George One Loss Incident' of 30 December 1946', is officially classified as a Cold War Non-Hostile Loss Incident - most likely the very first Cold War Loss Incident on record. The Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) @ the Pentagon also classifies it as the last loss of WWII. The loss is Associated with Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, USN, and his fourth Antarctic Expedition, Operation Highjump, the mission of the George One and her sister aircraft, the George Two and George Three, was to map the coast line of the Antarctic and to identify suitable building sites for Naval Bases, should the dictates of the Cold War so warrant. Survivor testimony and the content of the 1947 Congressional responses to the family of Aviation Radioman First Class Wendell Keith Hendersin, USN; clearly indicate that the temporary burial of Ensign Maxwell Albert Lopez, USNR; Aviation Machinist's Mate First Class Frederick Warren Williams, USN; and Aviation Radioman First Class Wendell Keith Hendersin, USN; was not intended to be the final resting place of these Sailors. Events beyond the control of Rear Admiral Byrd, primarily adverse weather and the pending departure of the Task Force, prevented the recovery of these remains before the task force was forced to depart the area. With the advent the U.S. Government's "Full Accounting Effort", which stood up in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the Department of Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) became the sole focal point for recovery and identification of remains associated with Hostile Losses dating back to the beginning of WWII, in accordance with the Missing Service Personnel Act (MSPA) of 1995, Title 10 USC, Sections 1501-1513, as mandated by Congress. To support this effort, various U.S. Government agencies, the Military Services (USA, USAF, USN (includes Coast Guard Losses in time of War) and the USMC), the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CIL, JPAC), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL), and the Life Science Equipment Laboratory (LSEL); actively contribute personnel, funding, material resources and military assets to assist in this endeavor. Non-Hostile recovery of remains associated with Operational Loss Incidents dating back to WWII and in some cases even earlier, are also being pursued by the Military Services, although this effort is under the cognizance of the Service Secretary's Current Death Programs, Title 10 USC, Sections 1480-1483. The Department of the Navy has participated in several Non-Hostile recoveries of remains, to include additional remains recoveries, such as the LA-9 Loss Incident of 12 January 1962 (additional remains recovered in August 2004), as well as the recovery of initial remains of Navy service members from isolated sites within the confines of the United States (i.e. State of Washington and the State of California). The sole defining criteria for pursuit of remains recoveries associated with Navy Non-Hostile Loss Incidents, wherein there is a high probability of recovery of remains, has always been the safety of the members of the 'Recovery Team' that is charged with the recovery operation. It is interesting to note, that the highly successful recovery of additional remains associated with the 1962 LA-9 Non-Hostile Navy Loss Incident, involving a Navy PV-1 Aircraft with twelve crew members aboard, was a Naval Operational Recovery effort, as assisted by a British Commercial Firm specializing in Cold Weather Operations in the Arctic, as well as, a Cold Weather Anthropologist on loan from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). The remains, aircraft artifacts, and personal effects of the twelve crew members associated with this Navy Loss Incident are currently undergoing the final phase of the 'Identification Process" at the Central Identification Laboratory, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), in Hawaii.
Those individuals within the Department of the Navy, who take the perspective that the Secretary of the Navy does not have an obligation to the families of Navy Unaccounted-for Service Members, stand in direct contradiction to the very premise of the U.S. Government's "Full Accounting Effort" (Hostile Loss Incidents), Public Law (Hostile & Non-Hostile Loss Incidents), and the very principles on which service to the Department of the Navy is base: Honor, Courage and Commitment (excerpt from the Sailor's Creed). These Sailors are our comrades, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country from known and potential aggressors. Regardless of whether the loss was due to hostile enemy fire, mechanical problems or severe weather, they were put in "Harms Way" and deserve no less than our very best effort to recover their remains, whenever the opportunity is presented. To do anything less, would demean the sacrifices that these men and women made on behalf of our Nation and especially the United States Navy, for whom they proudly served and died!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
George One Recovery Pioneer Passes Away
It is with great sadness that I must inform the George One community that our most beloved and tireless friend George Fabik passed away yesterday, January 4th 2008. George passed away from a massive heart attack while engaged in one of his most favorite pastimes, bowling.
Against all odds, George’s many, many years of personal commitment and work is highly responsible for keeping alive and moving forward the effort to bring Max Lopez, Wendell Hendersin and Fred Williams home to their families and country. The successes of the George One community are built upon the granite foundations that George built for us.
From Air & Space Magazine:
“One day a retired Navy chief petty officer in Allentown, Pennsylvania, named George Fabik got a computer. Fabik, then 79, had spent his whole career in the Navy. He loved the service and was loyal to it, and, like Robbins, he believed that no one who died serving his country should be left behind. Fabik was surfing the Internet on his new computer when he stumbled upon a Web site on Navy patrol squadrons that mentioned two Navy airplane crashes....” the rest, as they say, is history. Thank you George!
Services and a viewing will be held Tuesday January 8th from 9 to 10:30 AM at:
Kohut Funeral Home
950 North Front St
Allentown PA 18102
610-433-7466.
A Mass will follow next door at St John the Baptist Church.
We miss you already George!
God Bless.
Against all odds, George’s many, many years of personal commitment and work is highly responsible for keeping alive and moving forward the effort to bring Max Lopez, Wendell Hendersin and Fred Williams home to their families and country. The successes of the George One community are built upon the granite foundations that George built for us.
From Air & Space Magazine:
“One day a retired Navy chief petty officer in Allentown, Pennsylvania, named George Fabik got a computer. Fabik, then 79, had spent his whole career in the Navy. He loved the service and was loyal to it, and, like Robbins, he believed that no one who died serving his country should be left behind. Fabik was surfing the Internet on his new computer when he stumbled upon a Web site on Navy patrol squadrons that mentioned two Navy airplane crashes....” the rest, as they say, is history. Thank you George!
Services and a viewing will be held Tuesday January 8th from 9 to 10:30 AM at:
Kohut Funeral Home
950 North Front St
Allentown PA 18102
610-433-7466.
A Mass will follow next door at St John the Baptist Church.
We miss you already George!
God Bless.
Friday, December 21, 2007
George One - Success!!!!! Congressman Steven Mark Kirk to Introduce a Congressional Resolution to Mandate Recovery
Success! We are on our way!!
I have requested of Congressman Steven Mark Kirk that a Congressional bi partisan resolution be entered for vote on or about the 23rd of January.
That resolution will:
1. Mandate the recovery of the George One Crew: Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez, Newport, RI; Frederick Warren Williams, Aviation Machinist’s Mate First Class, Huntington, TN and Wendell K. Hendersin, Aviation Radioman First Class, Sparta, WI along with the portion of the wing that has served as the tombstone of their temporary grave.
2. Direct the
a. Department of Defense
b. National Science Foundation
c. CILHI/JPAC
...to support North South Polar Recoveries, LLC in the recovery effort.
Congressman Kirk will further introduce legislation for an appropriation to fund the recovery.
Please have your Senator and Congressman contact Patrick Magnuson at Congressman Kirk’s office to become a cosignatory on the resolution and appropriation:
patrick.magnuson@mail.house.gov
202-225-4835
Thank you Congressman Kirk! Thank you Patrick Magnuson!
This appeared in the Chicago Daily herald today: https://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=100145
Merry Christmas all!
I have requested of Congressman Steven Mark Kirk that a Congressional bi partisan resolution be entered for vote on or about the 23rd of January.
That resolution will:
1. Mandate the recovery of the George One Crew: Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez, Newport, RI; Frederick Warren Williams, Aviation Machinist’s Mate First Class, Huntington, TN and Wendell K. Hendersin, Aviation Radioman First Class, Sparta, WI along with the portion of the wing that has served as the tombstone of their temporary grave.
2. Direct the
a. Department of Defense
b. National Science Foundation
c. CILHI/JPAC
...to support North South Polar Recoveries, LLC in the recovery effort.
Congressman Kirk will further introduce legislation for an appropriation to fund the recovery.
Please have your Senator and Congressman contact Patrick Magnuson at Congressman Kirk’s office to become a cosignatory on the resolution and appropriation:
patrick.magnuson@mail.house.gov
202-225-4835
Thank you Congressman Kirk! Thank you Patrick Magnuson!
This appeared in the Chicago Daily herald today: https://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=100145
Merry Christmas all!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
George 1 Antarctic Crew Recovery - Pentagon Decision Due This Week
Falling Into Place!
Not knowing what the Navy procedure is for evaluation the George One Recovery has led to a few months of "wild" of speculation. For many of the G1 Family members the past few months have been an up and down roller coaster ride of emotions. But it looks now as though we have finally have a glimpse of what is going on.
Progress!
Last week we did hear that SECNAV Donald Winter was to convene a G1 briefing to examine the facts surrounding the history of the George One crash and burial as far back as the mishap. But we also found out that he was traveling that day.
It is my understanding that reports for that meeting will include official US Navy documents and Congressional letters to the families, in past and recent histories, that more than imply that the George One grave has always been regarded as a temporary grave - this going back to reports filed by Admiral Richard Byrd and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal – both legnedary figures in American history. The last part of the equation then, is that of whether the Navy will decide to “invest in the recovery.” It is likewise my understanding it will be reported and recommended to SECNAV that the US Navy's investment in the George One Recovery is a win/win proposition for the families and the Navy and that investment will provide dividends far exceeding the initial investment – that of an incredible amount of positive PR for the Navy, raised morale and a feel good endeavor for the nation as a whole.
According to my CNN Pentagon producer a previous G1 funding briefing was held on Nov 8th. If the recovery and the funding is approved for Phase One this week I have been told to expect to fly to DC to meet with Jerry Mullins of USGS for an introduction to NSF to determine transportation down through New Zealand. Once we get that far - if we get that far – a USAF General is ready to make arrangements for the crew to be on a plane to Christchurch.
If all the ifs turn in our favor the team can potentially leave as early as 14 to 21 days after receipt of funding (if!) but there may be other factors that have us leave slightly later.
All in all we do still have a very good shot at Phase One this year.
Until its officially a "Go!" Keep your Senators and Congressmen pushing for the recovery.....
Not knowing what the Navy procedure is for evaluation the George One Recovery has led to a few months of "wild" of speculation. For many of the G1 Family members the past few months have been an up and down roller coaster ride of emotions. But it looks now as though we have finally have a glimpse of what is going on.
Progress!
Last week we did hear that SECNAV Donald Winter was to convene a G1 briefing to examine the facts surrounding the history of the George One crash and burial as far back as the mishap. But we also found out that he was traveling that day.
It is my understanding that reports for that meeting will include official US Navy documents and Congressional letters to the families, in past and recent histories, that more than imply that the George One grave has always been regarded as a temporary grave - this going back to reports filed by Admiral Richard Byrd and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal – both legnedary figures in American history. The last part of the equation then, is that of whether the Navy will decide to “invest in the recovery.” It is likewise my understanding it will be reported and recommended to SECNAV that the US Navy's investment in the George One Recovery is a win/win proposition for the families and the Navy and that investment will provide dividends far exceeding the initial investment – that of an incredible amount of positive PR for the Navy, raised morale and a feel good endeavor for the nation as a whole.
According to my CNN Pentagon producer a previous G1 funding briefing was held on Nov 8th. If the recovery and the funding is approved for Phase One this week I have been told to expect to fly to DC to meet with Jerry Mullins of USGS for an introduction to NSF to determine transportation down through New Zealand. Once we get that far - if we get that far – a USAF General is ready to make arrangements for the crew to be on a plane to Christchurch.
If all the ifs turn in our favor the team can potentially leave as early as 14 to 21 days after receipt of funding (if!) but there may be other factors that have us leave slightly later.
All in all we do still have a very good shot at Phase One this year.
Until its officially a "Go!" Keep your Senators and Congressmen pushing for the recovery.....
Monday, November 26, 2007
Dear Secretary Winter..
Following is a copy of the letter sent to Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter from the George One families. In addition, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates received a copy.
Dear Secretary Winter:
On Thanksgiving Day, the families of the George One gave united thanks for our troops and prayed for their safe return home to the families they love. We gave thanks that we live in a country that remains blessed with men and women who are dedicated and committed to carrying out their duties to protect our Nation against current and future threats. And we gave thanks that the components needed for a safe and successful George One crew recovery are now available, some of which could be brought to bear through a detailed site survey in a matter of weeks – thus beginning to fulfill Admiral Byrd’s expressed desire to return these men home.
Specifically, the families are buoyed by knowledge that demonstrated technology for glacial deep shaft extraction is now available to enable the Navy to accomplish the mission it could not approve in 2005. Additionally, not only does the Navy now have the expertise of key members of the Greenland Expedition Society (GES) team brought together by Lou Sapienza, but it has support from multiple stakeholders:
Congressional Support – More than fifty members of Congress have been in contact with the George One families (their constituents) regarding the opportunity that now exists to recover the first Americans to die on Antarctica. Should the Congressional appropriation process be needed to obtain support for the funding of this mission, their bipartisan support stands ready.
Media Support – Interest in this story has already been demonstrated by national and local media coverage (CQ Quarterly, Smithsonian Air&Space magazine, WABC, WJLA, etc.). The ability to document the exploration and recovery efforts has the commitment from several production teams including CNN, Discovery Channel, Miramax Studios.
Scientific Support – The participation of GES brings to the Navy’s disposal state-of-the-art equipment and highly skilled talent thus minimizing the need for deployment of Naval resources. At the same time, the Navy can demonstrate its support for International Polar Year (IPY), protect the remains of Lopez, Williams, and Hendersin, and put the families’ minds at ease before the impact of global warming increases the vulnerability of the George One makeshift grave.
Surviving Crew of the George One/Admiral Byrd – The pain of leaving behind their crewmates continues to be heard in the voices of James Robbins, CPO USN (Ret), and William Kearns, LTJG USNR (Ret). In addition, it is our understanding that Admiral Bryd attempted to recover their remains but weather conditions at the end of the 1947 Austral summer prevented this from occurring.
Secretary Winter, the families of the George One recognize the global war on terror continues as well as the Navy’s need to respond to natural disasters around the world. Thus, we believe this mission to bring home these three Sailors who died at the close of WWII while supporting our Nation’s Cold War efforts would pay significant dividends to the Navy, as well as uplift the spirit of our nation.
Please bring our sailors home.
Sincerely,
Patricia M. Brown
Niece of Fred Williams
Representing the George One Families
Dear Secretary Winter:
On Thanksgiving Day, the families of the George One gave united thanks for our troops and prayed for their safe return home to the families they love. We gave thanks that we live in a country that remains blessed with men and women who are dedicated and committed to carrying out their duties to protect our Nation against current and future threats. And we gave thanks that the components needed for a safe and successful George One crew recovery are now available, some of which could be brought to bear through a detailed site survey in a matter of weeks – thus beginning to fulfill Admiral Byrd’s expressed desire to return these men home.
Specifically, the families are buoyed by knowledge that demonstrated technology for glacial deep shaft extraction is now available to enable the Navy to accomplish the mission it could not approve in 2005. Additionally, not only does the Navy now have the expertise of key members of the Greenland Expedition Society (GES) team brought together by Lou Sapienza, but it has support from multiple stakeholders:
Congressional Support – More than fifty members of Congress have been in contact with the George One families (their constituents) regarding the opportunity that now exists to recover the first Americans to die on Antarctica. Should the Congressional appropriation process be needed to obtain support for the funding of this mission, their bipartisan support stands ready.
Media Support – Interest in this story has already been demonstrated by national and local media coverage (CQ Quarterly, Smithsonian Air&Space magazine, WABC, WJLA, etc.). The ability to document the exploration and recovery efforts has the commitment from several production teams including CNN, Discovery Channel, Miramax Studios.
Scientific Support – The participation of GES brings to the Navy’s disposal state-of-the-art equipment and highly skilled talent thus minimizing the need for deployment of Naval resources. At the same time, the Navy can demonstrate its support for International Polar Year (IPY), protect the remains of Lopez, Williams, and Hendersin, and put the families’ minds at ease before the impact of global warming increases the vulnerability of the George One makeshift grave.
Surviving Crew of the George One/Admiral Byrd – The pain of leaving behind their crewmates continues to be heard in the voices of James Robbins, CPO USN (Ret), and William Kearns, LTJG USNR (Ret). In addition, it is our understanding that Admiral Bryd attempted to recover their remains but weather conditions at the end of the 1947 Austral summer prevented this from occurring.
Secretary Winter, the families of the George One recognize the global war on terror continues as well as the Navy’s need to respond to natural disasters around the world. Thus, we believe this mission to bring home these three Sailors who died at the close of WWII while supporting our Nation’s Cold War efforts would pay significant dividends to the Navy, as well as uplift the spirit of our nation.
Please bring our sailors home.
Sincerely,
Patricia M. Brown
Niece of Fred Williams
Representing the George One Families
Strong Bipartisan Support For George One Recovery
Senator Barbara Mikulski's support (see Nov. 21 post) for the George One Crew Recovery is a great example of the bipartisan support the families have received as Secretary Winter reviews Lou's proposed plan.
In fact, the George One families are represented by more than 50 members of Congress! Now that is a lot of voting power in both Houses.
Thanks to all of the Senators and Representatives who have taken a personal interest in our quest. I was very pleased when I ran into my representative (Steve Cohen, 9th District TN) at last week’s Grizzlies basketball game. As I took the opportunity to introduce myself, he mentioned my "case" and how he was personally tracking the situation. Isn’t it great to know that we can depend on our elected officials to be the liaison that is needed in our communications with the Navy.
Here’s the list of the members of Congress who represent the George One Families:
US Senate
Senator Lamar Alexander
Senator Barbara Boxer
Senator Sherrod Brown
Senator Benjamin Cardin
Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Senator Bob Corker
Senator John Cornyn
Senator Richard Durbin
Senator Russell Feingold
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Senator John Kerry
Senator Herbert Kohl
Senator Frank Lautenberg
Senator Mel Martinez
Senator John McCain
Senator Robert Menendez
Senator Barbara Mikulski
Senator Patty Murray
Senator Bill Nelson
Senator Barack Obama
Senator Richard Shelby
Senator Jeff Sessions
Senator Arlen Specter
Senator George Voinovich
Senator John Warner
Senator Jim Webb
US House of Representatives
US Representative Robert Aderholt
US Representative Melissa Bean
US Representative Mary Bono
US Representative Steve Cohen
US Representative Robert “Bud” Cramer
US Representative Henry Cuellar
US Representative Arthur Davis
US Representative David Davis
US Representative Tom Davis
US Representative Charles Dent
US Representative Scott Garrett
US Representative Wayne Gilchrest
US Representative Steny H Hoyer
US Representative Ron Kind
US Representative Mark Kirk
US Representative Nick Lampson
US Representative Jim McDermott
US Representative Ron Paul
US Representative Thomas E Petri
US Representative Joseph R. Pitts
US Representative Ted Poe
US Representative John Sarbanes
US Representative Lamar Smith
US Representative John Tanner
US Representative Patrick Tiberi
US Representative Dave Weldon
US Representative Jerry Weller
In fact, the George One families are represented by more than 50 members of Congress! Now that is a lot of voting power in both Houses.
Thanks to all of the Senators and Representatives who have taken a personal interest in our quest. I was very pleased when I ran into my representative (Steve Cohen, 9th District TN) at last week’s Grizzlies basketball game. As I took the opportunity to introduce myself, he mentioned my "case" and how he was personally tracking the situation. Isn’t it great to know that we can depend on our elected officials to be the liaison that is needed in our communications with the Navy.
Here’s the list of the members of Congress who represent the George One Families:
US Senate
Senator Lamar Alexander
Senator Barbara Boxer
Senator Sherrod Brown
Senator Benjamin Cardin
Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Senator Bob Corker
Senator John Cornyn
Senator Richard Durbin
Senator Russell Feingold
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Senator John Kerry
Senator Herbert Kohl
Senator Frank Lautenberg
Senator Mel Martinez
Senator John McCain
Senator Robert Menendez
Senator Barbara Mikulski
Senator Patty Murray
Senator Bill Nelson
Senator Barack Obama
Senator Richard Shelby
Senator Jeff Sessions
Senator Arlen Specter
Senator George Voinovich
Senator John Warner
Senator Jim Webb
US House of Representatives
US Representative Robert Aderholt
US Representative Melissa Bean
US Representative Mary Bono
US Representative Steve Cohen
US Representative Robert “Bud” Cramer
US Representative Henry Cuellar
US Representative Arthur Davis
US Representative David Davis
US Representative Tom Davis
US Representative Charles Dent
US Representative Scott Garrett
US Representative Wayne Gilchrest
US Representative Steny H Hoyer
US Representative Ron Kind
US Representative Mark Kirk
US Representative Nick Lampson
US Representative Jim McDermott
US Representative Ron Paul
US Representative Thomas E Petri
US Representative Joseph R. Pitts
US Representative Ted Poe
US Representative John Sarbanes
US Representative Lamar Smith
US Representative John Tanner
US Representative Patrick Tiberi
US Representative Dave Weldon
US Representative Jerry Weller
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Thank-you to Senator Barbara Mikulski
emailed 11/21 to Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Dear Senator Mikulski,
Thank you for your timely letter of 20-Oct to Navy Secretary Winter asking for his support for the recovery of the crew members who lost their lives the George 1 crash during Adm. Byrd's antarctic Operation Highjump in 1946.
The family of the three Naval Aviators and survivors have long petitioned the Navy to bring these men home. Now, we have been apprised that Sec. Winter will decide the Navy's involvement, if any, this coming Wed. Nov. 28th. It is through your efforts and those ofyour many Senate and Congressional colleagues giving voice to over 40 family members and survivors, that we remain hopeful for a favorable decision.
I wanted to commend two of your staff, Celes Hughes, and in particular, Roland de Guzman, for spending their scarce time to gain an in depth knowledge of the history and recovery proposed for the George 1 crew. They understand both the significance to us and the benefit to our country's spirit that a successful recovery would bring.
On behalf of the families, the expedition leader (Mr. Lou Sapienza), surviving members of Operation Highjump, and myself, Thank you for your support. I will ensure you are kept up to date on developments in this effort - and look forward to that day, when we all can say, "Our duty is complete, we have kept our promise, we have upheld the honor of these men, and the honor of our country".
Best regards and have a pleasant Thanksgiving,
Sincerely,
Richard E. Lopez
(Nephew of Ens. Maxwell A. Lopez)
Dear Senator Mikulski,
Thank you for your timely letter of 20-Oct to Navy Secretary Winter asking for his support for the recovery of the crew members who lost their lives the George 1 crash during Adm. Byrd's antarctic Operation Highjump in 1946.
The family of the three Naval Aviators and survivors have long petitioned the Navy to bring these men home. Now, we have been apprised that Sec. Winter will decide the Navy's involvement, if any, this coming Wed. Nov. 28th. It is through your efforts and those ofyour many Senate and Congressional colleagues giving voice to over 40 family members and survivors, that we remain hopeful for a favorable decision.
I wanted to commend two of your staff, Celes Hughes, and in particular, Roland de Guzman, for spending their scarce time to gain an in depth knowledge of the history and recovery proposed for the George 1 crew. They understand both the significance to us and the benefit to our country's spirit that a successful recovery would bring.
On behalf of the families, the expedition leader (Mr. Lou Sapienza), surviving members of Operation Highjump, and myself, Thank you for your support. I will ensure you are kept up to date on developments in this effort - and look forward to that day, when we all can say, "Our duty is complete, we have kept our promise, we have upheld the honor of these men, and the honor of our country".
Best regards and have a pleasant Thanksgiving,
Sincerely,
Richard E. Lopez
(Nephew of Ens. Maxwell A. Lopez)
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Families and Friends Blog with Ann Curry of NBC's Today Show
During Ann Curry's trip to Antarctica, friends and family shared the story of George One... Following are the comments that appeared on Ann's Blog....
Ann....At McMurdo, broadcast from the deck looking out over the water that has the two plaques to the first Americans to die on Antarctica. Show them to everyone to see. They are my friends and I wish someone would bring them home.
George Fabik USN(retired) George Fabik, Allentown,Pa. (Sent Thursday, November 01, 2007 3:24 PM)
Ann - Safe travels and thanks for taking us all on your adventure. If scheduling allows – please show the Plaque honoring the first Americans to die on Antarctica. This Plaque is at McMurdo Station and discusses the George One that crashed during Rear Admiral Byrd’s 4th Expedition to Antarctica. My Uncle Fred was one of those who perished. The three sailors were buried on Thurston Island where their plane crashed. The Navy is expected to decide soon regarding a mission to recover these three sailors and bring them back home for burial. Please say a prayer for us in honor of our loved ones who perished there. Pat Brown, Memphis, TN (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 2:18 PM)
Ann, I too would encourage you to please show plaque at McMurdo Station of the 3 crewmen who died in crash of George 1 plane in 1946. I am another niece of Fred Williams. Uncle Fred was with Admiral Byrd Expedition. The bodies of Fred Williams, Maxwell Lopez and Wendell Hendersin are still buried under the wing of crashed plane. I also pray that you might have a safe journey. Kate Williams Beebe, San Antonio, Texas (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 4:00 PM)
Dear Ann, Several years back my son had to do a research project for school. He chose to research the events surround the death of our family hero, his great-great-uncle Fredrick Warren Williams, who was one of the first men to die exploring the Antarctic. Fred and two of his fellow servicemen died in a plane crash on the Antarctic, December 30, 1946. There are no grave markers to visit on Veterans' Day where we can honor these men here in the states because these men are still buried in a "temporary" grave 60 years ago in the Antarctic snow. The Navy is, as I post this, considering a mission to recover these lost sailors and finally bring them home. There is a memorial to these men at McMurdo Station. You are going where we will never go. If you could mention these men and perhaps the plaque in their honor, it would give us a chance to vicariously visit the site where our love one is still remembered. Stay Warm, Phyllis Brewer, Decatur, Alabama (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 5:11 PM)
Ann, Fred Williams, one of our sons from our small town of Clarksburg, Tennessee, lies in a frozen grave in Antarctica. He and his two comrades who lie beside him sacrificed their all for our Nation. All three were members of Flight George 1. These families along with their communities hope you will further honor these men and their families by mentioning them and the recovery effort being planned to bring these WWII veterans home to their families, communities and their nation. We pray for you to have a safe and interesting journey. Jerry McDaniel, Clarksburg, Tennessee (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 7:02 PM)
Dear Ann, I am another nephew of Fredrick Warren Williams who died Dec. 30 1946 in the crash of George 1 in the Antarctic. I was only five and a half years old when Uncle Fred came home from the war, but I still remember like it was yesterday. that was the happiest summer of my childhood. Then he went of to the Antarctic and never came back. please vist his memorial at McMurdo Station while you are there and honor Uncle Fred and his ship mates. Thanks so much George L. Williams Deer Park Texas (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 8:00 PM)
Ann....At McMurdo there is a wooden deck overlooking the bay and there is a memorial to the first Americans to die in Antarctica. It's a nice place to broadcast from but be sure to show the people the two plaques that are displayed. Have a safe trip. George Fabik, USNavy retired (Sent Wednesday, October 31, 2007 3:17 PM)
On Dec 30, 1946 a PBM 5 seaplane code named "George 1" from the Byrd expedition crashed 10 miles from the Antactic coast. Today the crash site is less than three miles from the coast. Global Warming? Lt Col James Beebe, USAFR, Schertz, TX (Sent Thursday, November 01, 2007 12:10 PM)
Dear Ann, If you stand at the McMurdo Station Operation Highjump memorial plaque and gaze at the horizon towards South America, you will be looking towards the George One seaplane, beneath which lie the three aviators listed on the plaque in a temporary grave...silently, today as they have each day for over 60 years... On Antarctica's Thurston Island, 1,500 miles from where you stand today, under 150' of snow, they wait for us to take them home. My uncle, Ens. Maxwell Lopez is one of them. We know exactly where they are, how to reach them, and have an experienced team gathered, the cost reasonable. Why is now not the time to recover them? This is the question we have asked of the Navy and await Secretary Winter's response. Please, talk about these courageous explorers and the resolve of the family members to see the George One/Operation Highjump Crew Recovery succeed, you will honor these men. Richard E Lopez (Sent Friday, November 02, 2007 10:40 PM)
Dear Ann, As you broadcast from McMurdo, the families of the first 3 American Servicemen to die on the Antarctic continent are awaiting word from the Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter as to whether the Navy will finally mount the mission to bring these men home from their 61 year old temporary grave. A plaque commemorating them is to the side of Admiral Byrd's bust at McMurdo. After the crash and explosion of their PBM-5 Mariner during Admiral Byrd's 4th expedition to Antarctica Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez, Newport, RI; Frederick Warren Williams, Aviation Machinist’s Mate First Class, Huntington, TN and Wendell K. Hendersin, Aviation Radioman First Class, Sparta, WI were buried beneath the wing of their plane codenamed George One. After decades of inadequate technology it has been proposed to use the same team and technology that brought the WWII P-38 Lighting fighter plane Glacier Girl out from beneath 268 feet below the Greenland ice cap surface. The families and I hope that in your broadcasts you will further honor these men and their families by mentioning them and the recovery effort to bring these WWII veterans home to their families and their nation. You are on the adventure of a lifetime! Enjoy! Lou Sapienza/Executive Director/Expedition Lead -The George 1 Recovery Team (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 4:03 PM)
My cousin, Navy Airman Fred Williams crashed and was killed in Antarctica on 30 December 1946. He is buried along with two of his peers under an aircraft wing under 150 feet of ice. There is a memorial at McMurdo which honors these three outstanding Americans. Fred was the last purpose offically to die in World War since the Executive Order to end World War II was signed to become effective at midnight on 31 December 1946. It would please the many relatives of these airmen if their memories were addressed by Ann while your team is there. Right now, we are working very hard in trying to convince the Secretary of the Navy to return their bodies from Antarctica to their families for burial. Wish your team a very great trip! Jerry McDaniel, Clarksburg, Tennessee (Sent Friday, November 02, 2007 1:49 AM)
Dear Ann, Are you anywhere near Mount Lopez on Thurston Island, which is named after Navy Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez who lies buried under 150 feet of snow and ice along with two crewmates, Aviation Machinist's 1st Class Fred Williams and Aviation Radioman 1st Class Wendell Hendersin. Their PB5 Mariner aircraft crashed in bad weather during Admiral Byrd's fourth Antarctic expedition in 1946. Seven other airmen survived the crash and were rescued after surviving for 13 days. A compelling story is now developing, as the George One/Operation Highjump Crew Recovery Operation to recover the three Naval explorers is now under consideration by the U.S. Navy. The proposed mission would begin this December with a survey using ground penetration radar to precisely locate and map the crash site, and a recovery operation would take place next year. Mission director Lou Sapienza previously led the Greenland Expedition Society in the successful recovery of the World War II P-38 Lightning Glacier Girl from 288 feet below the Greenland Ice Sheet. We are awaiting word as to whether the Navy will provide financial support for the proposed Highjump mission. My cousins, Rich and Ted Lopez, are nephews of Ensign Max Lopez. They are working tirelessly along with the families of the two other crew members to bring these three heroes home. More information is provided at www.george1recovery.org, and the story is briefly described in the October 29 issue of CQ (Congressional Quarterly) Weekly - Vantage Point. Karen R. Owens (Sent Friday, November 02, 2007 8:33 AM)
Ann....At McMurdo, broadcast from the deck looking out over the water that has the two plaques to the first Americans to die on Antarctica. Show them to everyone to see. They are my friends and I wish someone would bring them home.
George Fabik USN(retired) George Fabik, Allentown,Pa. (Sent Thursday, November 01, 2007 3:24 PM)
Ann - Safe travels and thanks for taking us all on your adventure. If scheduling allows – please show the Plaque honoring the first Americans to die on Antarctica. This Plaque is at McMurdo Station and discusses the George One that crashed during Rear Admiral Byrd’s 4th Expedition to Antarctica. My Uncle Fred was one of those who perished. The three sailors were buried on Thurston Island where their plane crashed. The Navy is expected to decide soon regarding a mission to recover these three sailors and bring them back home for burial. Please say a prayer for us in honor of our loved ones who perished there. Pat Brown, Memphis, TN (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 2:18 PM)
Ann, I too would encourage you to please show plaque at McMurdo Station of the 3 crewmen who died in crash of George 1 plane in 1946. I am another niece of Fred Williams. Uncle Fred was with Admiral Byrd Expedition. The bodies of Fred Williams, Maxwell Lopez and Wendell Hendersin are still buried under the wing of crashed plane. I also pray that you might have a safe journey. Kate Williams Beebe, San Antonio, Texas (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 4:00 PM)
Dear Ann, Several years back my son had to do a research project for school. He chose to research the events surround the death of our family hero, his great-great-uncle Fredrick Warren Williams, who was one of the first men to die exploring the Antarctic. Fred and two of his fellow servicemen died in a plane crash on the Antarctic, December 30, 1946. There are no grave markers to visit on Veterans' Day where we can honor these men here in the states because these men are still buried in a "temporary" grave 60 years ago in the Antarctic snow. The Navy is, as I post this, considering a mission to recover these lost sailors and finally bring them home. There is a memorial to these men at McMurdo Station. You are going where we will never go. If you could mention these men and perhaps the plaque in their honor, it would give us a chance to vicariously visit the site where our love one is still remembered. Stay Warm, Phyllis Brewer, Decatur, Alabama (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 5:11 PM)
Ann, Fred Williams, one of our sons from our small town of Clarksburg, Tennessee, lies in a frozen grave in Antarctica. He and his two comrades who lie beside him sacrificed their all for our Nation. All three were members of Flight George 1. These families along with their communities hope you will further honor these men and their families by mentioning them and the recovery effort being planned to bring these WWII veterans home to their families, communities and their nation. We pray for you to have a safe and interesting journey. Jerry McDaniel, Clarksburg, Tennessee (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 7:02 PM)
Dear Ann, I am another nephew of Fredrick Warren Williams who died Dec. 30 1946 in the crash of George 1 in the Antarctic. I was only five and a half years old when Uncle Fred came home from the war, but I still remember like it was yesterday. that was the happiest summer of my childhood. Then he went of to the Antarctic and never came back. please vist his memorial at McMurdo Station while you are there and honor Uncle Fred and his ship mates. Thanks so much George L. Williams Deer Park Texas (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 8:00 PM)
Ann....At McMurdo there is a wooden deck overlooking the bay and there is a memorial to the first Americans to die in Antarctica. It's a nice place to broadcast from but be sure to show the people the two plaques that are displayed. Have a safe trip. George Fabik, USNavy retired (Sent Wednesday, October 31, 2007 3:17 PM)
On Dec 30, 1946 a PBM 5 seaplane code named "George 1" from the Byrd expedition crashed 10 miles from the Antactic coast. Today the crash site is less than three miles from the coast. Global Warming? Lt Col James Beebe, USAFR, Schertz, TX (Sent Thursday, November 01, 2007 12:10 PM)
Dear Ann, If you stand at the McMurdo Station Operation Highjump memorial plaque and gaze at the horizon towards South America, you will be looking towards the George One seaplane, beneath which lie the three aviators listed on the plaque in a temporary grave...silently, today as they have each day for over 60 years... On Antarctica's Thurston Island, 1,500 miles from where you stand today, under 150' of snow, they wait for us to take them home. My uncle, Ens. Maxwell Lopez is one of them. We know exactly where they are, how to reach them, and have an experienced team gathered, the cost reasonable. Why is now not the time to recover them? This is the question we have asked of the Navy and await Secretary Winter's response. Please, talk about these courageous explorers and the resolve of the family members to see the George One/Operation Highjump Crew Recovery succeed, you will honor these men. Richard E Lopez (Sent Friday, November 02, 2007 10:40 PM)
Dear Ann, As you broadcast from McMurdo, the families of the first 3 American Servicemen to die on the Antarctic continent are awaiting word from the Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter as to whether the Navy will finally mount the mission to bring these men home from their 61 year old temporary grave. A plaque commemorating them is to the side of Admiral Byrd's bust at McMurdo. After the crash and explosion of their PBM-5 Mariner during Admiral Byrd's 4th expedition to Antarctica Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez, Newport, RI; Frederick Warren Williams, Aviation Machinist’s Mate First Class, Huntington, TN and Wendell K. Hendersin, Aviation Radioman First Class, Sparta, WI were buried beneath the wing of their plane codenamed George One. After decades of inadequate technology it has been proposed to use the same team and technology that brought the WWII P-38 Lighting fighter plane Glacier Girl out from beneath 268 feet below the Greenland ice cap surface. The families and I hope that in your broadcasts you will further honor these men and their families by mentioning them and the recovery effort to bring these WWII veterans home to their families and their nation. You are on the adventure of a lifetime! Enjoy! Lou Sapienza/Executive Director/Expedition Lead -The George 1 Recovery Team (Sent Tuesday, October 30, 2007 4:03 PM)
My cousin, Navy Airman Fred Williams crashed and was killed in Antarctica on 30 December 1946. He is buried along with two of his peers under an aircraft wing under 150 feet of ice. There is a memorial at McMurdo which honors these three outstanding Americans. Fred was the last purpose offically to die in World War since the Executive Order to end World War II was signed to become effective at midnight on 31 December 1946. It would please the many relatives of these airmen if their memories were addressed by Ann while your team is there. Right now, we are working very hard in trying to convince the Secretary of the Navy to return their bodies from Antarctica to their families for burial. Wish your team a very great trip! Jerry McDaniel, Clarksburg, Tennessee (Sent Friday, November 02, 2007 1:49 AM)
Dear Ann, Are you anywhere near Mount Lopez on Thurston Island, which is named after Navy Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez who lies buried under 150 feet of snow and ice along with two crewmates, Aviation Machinist's 1st Class Fred Williams and Aviation Radioman 1st Class Wendell Hendersin. Their PB5 Mariner aircraft crashed in bad weather during Admiral Byrd's fourth Antarctic expedition in 1946. Seven other airmen survived the crash and were rescued after surviving for 13 days. A compelling story is now developing, as the George One/Operation Highjump Crew Recovery Operation to recover the three Naval explorers is now under consideration by the U.S. Navy. The proposed mission would begin this December with a survey using ground penetration radar to precisely locate and map the crash site, and a recovery operation would take place next year. Mission director Lou Sapienza previously led the Greenland Expedition Society in the successful recovery of the World War II P-38 Lightning Glacier Girl from 288 feet below the Greenland Ice Sheet. We are awaiting word as to whether the Navy will provide financial support for the proposed Highjump mission. My cousins, Rich and Ted Lopez, are nephews of Ensign Max Lopez. They are working tirelessly along with the families of the two other crew members to bring these three heroes home. More information is provided at www.george1recovery.org, and the story is briefly described in the October 29 issue of CQ (Congressional Quarterly) Weekly - Vantage Point. Karen R. Owens (Sent Friday, November 02, 2007 8:33 AM)
Antarctica: Iraq War Funding Bill Affects the Recovery of US Naval Pilot & 2 US Naval Air Crewmen from Temporary Antarctic Grave
Dear G1 Family & Friends,
The clock is ticking and, based on input from USGS (United States Geological Survey) opposite our Phase 1 plan, we have until mid December at the latest to secure funding approval to enable Phase-1 Site survey expedition to be completed prior to the close of the summer window.
The most current information that we've been able to glean from Sec. Winter's office leads us to conclude that the approval hinges solely on appropriating funding. We surmise that all other hurdles ( safety, team make-up, operation plan) have been successfully negotiated.
Political reality indicates that since the War Funding bill has failed to pass, the Pentagon/Navy will necessarily be severely constrained in deciding in our favor.
However - great news!
Congressman Kirk's (IL) office want to see Phase 1 happen this year. Rep. Kirk will make a direct proposal (Monday) to the the Navy that they fund this year. In exchange Congressman Kirk will spearhead an effort to introduce a Congressional Appropriation of $1M for Phase 2
so that Phase 2 does not impact the Navy's budget. We all will be needed to do our part in lining up legislators in support of Kirk's Phase 2 plan. Pat/Lou/myself will detail what is needed in a future email (i.e. talking points, contact lists).
Thank you for the many, many letters & other contacts you have made to date, your time, and personal expenses - I am certain we will prevail.
One other note:
Lou has been working tirelessly, full time, on our behalf and has incurred substantial telecommunication, copying, and postage expense. Think about what it takes to remain connected on a day to day basis with congressional representatives for 40 family members spread across the country, the Navy, Media, and others.
Please thoughtfully consider sending a donation to defray some of the expenses incurred by Lou on our behalf. We are still working to set up the non-profit "George One Recovery Foundation" and a web-enabled donation feature - but since the need is immediate, please
send to Lou's non-profit at the address below. Also, this effort sometimes requires Lou to travel (DC, Clarksburg, elsewhere) - - please actively seek "buddy passes" or those who might be in a position to transfer frequent flier miles for Lou.
Many Thanks!,
Rich Lopez
Send payable to "North / South Polar Recoveries, LLC" to:
Mr. Lou Sapienza
Executive Director
North / South Polar Recoveries, LLC
4815 53rd Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98118
206-240-9869
North / South Polar Recoveries is a non-profit corporation
The clock is ticking and, based on input from USGS (United States Geological Survey) opposite our Phase 1 plan, we have until mid December at the latest to secure funding approval to enable Phase-1 Site survey expedition to be completed prior to the close of the summer window.
The most current information that we've been able to glean from Sec. Winter's office leads us to conclude that the approval hinges solely on appropriating funding. We surmise that all other hurdles ( safety, team make-up, operation plan) have been successfully negotiated.
Political reality indicates that since the War Funding bill has failed to pass, the Pentagon/Navy will necessarily be severely constrained in deciding in our favor.
However - great news!
Congressman Kirk's (IL) office want to see Phase 1 happen this year. Rep. Kirk will make a direct proposal (Monday) to the the Navy that they fund this year. In exchange Congressman Kirk will spearhead an effort to introduce a Congressional Appropriation of $1M for Phase 2
so that Phase 2 does not impact the Navy's budget. We all will be needed to do our part in lining up legislators in support of Kirk's Phase 2 plan. Pat/Lou/myself will detail what is needed in a future email (i.e. talking points, contact lists).
Thank you for the many, many letters & other contacts you have made to date, your time, and personal expenses - I am certain we will prevail.
One other note:
Lou has been working tirelessly, full time, on our behalf and has incurred substantial telecommunication, copying, and postage expense. Think about what it takes to remain connected on a day to day basis with congressional representatives for 40 family members spread across the country, the Navy, Media, and others.
Please thoughtfully consider sending a donation to defray some of the expenses incurred by Lou on our behalf. We are still working to set up the non-profit "George One Recovery Foundation" and a web-enabled donation feature - but since the need is immediate, please
send to Lou's non-profit at the address below. Also, this effort sometimes requires Lou to travel (DC, Clarksburg, elsewhere) - - please actively seek "buddy passes" or those who might be in a position to transfer frequent flier miles for Lou.
Many Thanks!,
Rich Lopez
Send payable to "North / South Polar Recoveries, LLC" to:
Mr. Lou Sapienza
Executive Director
North / South Polar Recoveries, LLC
4815 53rd Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98118
206-240-9869
North / South Polar Recoveries is a non-profit corporation
Monday, November 12, 2007
The George 1 Antarctic Crew Recovery: The Fred Williams Family Military Story
Fred is one of the Naval Air Crewmen still in a temporary Antarctic grave. His cousin James Wilkinson just relayed this in an email.
Yes, as we think of our veterans this last week, do not forget these Antarctica Heroes never had the chance to be veterans as they died serving their country as any who did in any war.
Let me tell you about the Williams Family men in War time as I have found it.
Frederick Williams (Wilhelms) The first known Fred we know of.
Fred's grandfather (my grandfather) immigrated from Germany about 1857 to NYC. In 1863 he joined the Union Army, the 11th NY Calvary. As he was small in stature (about 5'-3" from his enlistment paper, a copy I have.) he was made a scout. Scouts had to be small so horse could carry the rider and all provisions without stress during the actions. He served from Memphis through Mississippi and Louisiana, returning to be muster out in Memphis.
He married his wife Margaret Hays in Haywood City, now Brownsville, TN. They moved to Clarksburg, Carroll Co. TN as it was a Union sympathies county, thus started a family there. Her father was also a circuit riding preacher in Benton and Carroll Counties about that time, but that's another story.
One of his sons Alford was injured in WWI by mustard gas and spent the rest of his life in a veterans home in East Tennessee.
Then our Frederick Warren Williams, his name sake whose story is beginning to be told after all these years of our efforts.
I am sure there are others whom I don't have the facts on.
Both my dad and I also carry the middle name as Fredrick although name got misspelled for us (lost the "E"). Grandmother Irma stated he spell his name that way although the family Bible indicates Frederick.
Well hope I didn't bore you with our history from the my collection of bits and pieces and also memories of time gone by.
Cousin James Wilkinson
(Posted By Lou Sapienza)
Yes, as we think of our veterans this last week, do not forget these Antarctica Heroes never had the chance to be veterans as they died serving their country as any who did in any war.
Let me tell you about the Williams Family men in War time as I have found it.
Frederick Williams (Wilhelms) The first known Fred we know of.
Fred's grandfather (my grandfather) immigrated from Germany about 1857 to NYC. In 1863 he joined the Union Army, the 11th NY Calvary. As he was small in stature (about 5'-3" from his enlistment paper, a copy I have.) he was made a scout. Scouts had to be small so horse could carry the rider and all provisions without stress during the actions. He served from Memphis through Mississippi and Louisiana, returning to be muster out in Memphis.
He married his wife Margaret Hays in Haywood City, now Brownsville, TN. They moved to Clarksburg, Carroll Co. TN as it was a Union sympathies county, thus started a family there. Her father was also a circuit riding preacher in Benton and Carroll Counties about that time, but that's another story.
One of his sons Alford was injured in WWI by mustard gas and spent the rest of his life in a veterans home in East Tennessee.
Then our Frederick Warren Williams, his name sake whose story is beginning to be told after all these years of our efforts.
I am sure there are others whom I don't have the facts on.
Both my dad and I also carry the middle name as Fredrick although name got misspelled for us (lost the "E"). Grandmother Irma stated he spell his name that way although the family Bible indicates Frederick.
Well hope I didn't bore you with our history from the my collection of bits and pieces and also memories of time gone by.
Cousin James Wilkinson
(Posted By Lou Sapienza)
CNN Confirms...
Just in from my CNN contact....the Navy had a funding meeting this week – but no results. I called the SECNAV’s office today and offered to field any questions. The assistant thanked me and took my tel #. Its a step forward. The families are a bit perplexed due to the fact that since scrubbed the original mission in 2005 due to the lack of sufficient known technology, they have always said that "...resources are available...." The prevailing logic is that if the Navy is meeting on funding then the proposal before them must meet the requisites for technology and safety. One would think that if all along "...resources are available..." the funding is there. And so the families are asking, why is funding now an issue? Or why was there no go ahead after the funding meeting?
Stay tuned!
Stay tuned!
Monday, July 30, 2007
The Lost Squadron and George One - Operation Highjump
In the 15 years since the recovery of the WWII P-38 Lightning now known as Glacier Girl further recovery has remained static. It's similar to the US Moon Program venturing forth a few times and then never returning.
About two weeks ago I read about the plight of the George One/Admiral Byrd Operation Highjump and the U.S. Navy aviators that crashed on Antarctica's Phantom Coast. While survivors of the crash were able to make it to the coast for pick up by a sea plane, those three men killed in the crash were left behind, their bodies buried under the wing by fellow crewman Robbie Robbins. Weather precluded the Navy from recovering their bodies at the tail end of Operation Highjump. Its always been the wish of fellow crewmen, the Navy rescuers and of course, the families to have their loved ones returned to US soil. In current times, the Navy, wanting to recover the remains of these heroic men, lacked the technology to retrieve the men now some 100 to 150 feet below the glacier surface and subsequently abandoned the mission.
I had one of those "Aha!" moments in the midst of reading the articles in Air & Space magazine. It's amazing that all that glacier penetration equipment was developed and never had another use - until now!
As an original member of the Greenland Expedition Society I felt a deep obligation to step forward to offer the experience and equipment used to recover Glacier Girl to the wonderful families and great people like Robbie Robbins, George Fabik, Gary Pierson, Garey Jones and so many others that have kept this mission alive through sheer love and determination. I offered to reunite the ol' Greenland Expedition Society gang and have the equipment built once again in an effort to get the Navy to reconsider a mission to recover these men for their family and for their nation. Well in absolutely no time most of the original Greenland crew is on board, the equipment ready to be built, the Ground Penetrating Radar crew including 3 geophysicists are all on board as well as JPAC, the NSF Polar Operations, USGS, the US Navy Casualty Office so we're all but ready to go and hopefully with the Navy. The last remaining part of the equation is to get the Navy back on board. A full proposal with options and budgets have been forwarded to them. I have been told that the Secretary of the Navy has the proposal on his desk and that a decision is imminent. Should the Navy not be able to support the mission I have promised the families that we will find the funding for a private recovery - but I don't think it'll come out to that. My informal discussions with Navy personnel both in the Pentagon and at COMNAVAIRLANT have been "unofficially" very up beat.
If you'd like to help please contact me and I'll send you a word document letter that you can personalize and send you can send to the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates and the Secretary of Navy, the Honorable Donald Winters as well as your Senators and District Congressional Representatives.
For more information on the men of George One and Operation Highjump see the links to the right.
You can also read: Where Hell Freezes Over (by Kearns) or view the official US Navy film: "Operation Highjump" available on DVD from Traditions Videos http://www.militaryvideo.com
We'll soon be offering George One Mission Patches, shirts, caps etc to help fund the domestic efforts. We're also looking for major contributors and sponsors to fund a private contingency plan should the Navy not budge.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Lou Sapienza
George One/Operation Highjump Recovery Team
Please Post Your Comments by hitting the "COMMENTS" tab below.
About two weeks ago I read about the plight of the George One/Admiral Byrd Operation Highjump and the U.S. Navy aviators that crashed on Antarctica's Phantom Coast. While survivors of the crash were able to make it to the coast for pick up by a sea plane, those three men killed in the crash were left behind, their bodies buried under the wing by fellow crewman Robbie Robbins. Weather precluded the Navy from recovering their bodies at the tail end of Operation Highjump. Its always been the wish of fellow crewmen, the Navy rescuers and of course, the families to have their loved ones returned to US soil. In current times, the Navy, wanting to recover the remains of these heroic men, lacked the technology to retrieve the men now some 100 to 150 feet below the glacier surface and subsequently abandoned the mission.
I had one of those "Aha!" moments in the midst of reading the articles in Air & Space magazine. It's amazing that all that glacier penetration equipment was developed and never had another use - until now!
As an original member of the Greenland Expedition Society I felt a deep obligation to step forward to offer the experience and equipment used to recover Glacier Girl to the wonderful families and great people like Robbie Robbins, George Fabik, Gary Pierson, Garey Jones and so many others that have kept this mission alive through sheer love and determination. I offered to reunite the ol' Greenland Expedition Society gang and have the equipment built once again in an effort to get the Navy to reconsider a mission to recover these men for their family and for their nation. Well in absolutely no time most of the original Greenland crew is on board, the equipment ready to be built, the Ground Penetrating Radar crew including 3 geophysicists are all on board as well as JPAC, the NSF Polar Operations, USGS, the US Navy Casualty Office so we're all but ready to go and hopefully with the Navy. The last remaining part of the equation is to get the Navy back on board. A full proposal with options and budgets have been forwarded to them. I have been told that the Secretary of the Navy has the proposal on his desk and that a decision is imminent. Should the Navy not be able to support the mission I have promised the families that we will find the funding for a private recovery - but I don't think it'll come out to that. My informal discussions with Navy personnel both in the Pentagon and at COMNAVAIRLANT have been "unofficially" very up beat.
If you'd like to help please contact me and I'll send you a word document letter that you can personalize and send you can send to the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates and the Secretary of Navy, the Honorable Donald Winters as well as your Senators and District Congressional Representatives.
For more information on the men of George One and Operation Highjump see the links to the right.
You can also read: Where Hell Freezes Over (by Kearns) or view the official US Navy film: "Operation Highjump" available on DVD from Traditions Videos http://www.militaryvideo.com
We'll soon be offering George One Mission Patches, shirts, caps etc to help fund the domestic efforts. We're also looking for major contributors and sponsors to fund a private contingency plan should the Navy not budge.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Lou Sapienza
George One/Operation Highjump Recovery Team
Please Post Your Comments by hitting the "COMMENTS" tab below.
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