Pennsylvanian killed during World War II accounted for
(WHTM) — A Pennsylvania airman killed during World War II was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
The accounting agency announced that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick, 26, of Roscoe, Pennsylvania, was accounted for on Sept. 20, 2024. Sheppick's identification was allowed to be shared after his family was briefed.
According to the accounting agency, in March 1994, Sheppick, a navigator onboard a B-24D Liberator bomber called 'Heaven Can Wait,' departed from Papua New Guinea on a bombing mission at Boram Airfield and Awar Point, Hansa Bay.
The accounting agency said soldiers from another aircraft in the formation said they saw flames come from the bomb bay and spread to the tail. The plane crashed into the water, and no survivors were observed.
The American Graves Registration Service (AGRS), which is responsible for recovering missing Americans in the Pacific Theater, couldn't locate Sheppick's remains, the accounting agency said.
A DPAA underwater investigation team excavated the crash site in 2023 and was able to locate material evidence that was later sent to a DPAA Laboratory. Sheppick's remains were identified.
The accounting agency said Sheppick will be buried in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, at a future date.
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