Savannah man and World War II airman has been accounted for
According to information released by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, in June 1944, Hymes was assigned to the 565th Bombardment Squadron, 389th Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater.
On June 20, Hymes, the navigator onboard a B-24J 'Liberator' bomber, went missing in action when his plane crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark after colliding with another B-24 in the same formation. The pilot and co-pilot of Hymes' aircraft were able to bail out and survived, but all evidence points to the rest of the crew being killed in the crash. The U.S. War Department issued a Finding of Death for Hymes on June 21, 1945.
In early 1948, the American Graves Registration Command, the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel in the European Theater, investigated the crash, but was unable to find any of the missing crewmen.
Over the next couple of years, the AGRC also assessed unidentified remains that washed ashore in the area where Hymes' aircraft crashed, but were not able to identify any of the crew. Hymes was declared non-recoverable on May 12, 1950.
In 2019, Danish divers alerted the Royal Danish Navy to a WWII-era aircraft wreck in the general area where Hymes' aircraft crashed. A .50 caliber machine gun with a damaged serial number that partially matched the guns on Hymes' aircraft was recovered.
In August 2021, after the Royal Danish Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal cleared the site of unexploded ordnance, DPAA partner University of Delaware, along with the Royal Danish Navy, returned to conduct an underwater survey. The survey found possible human remains as well as enough evidence to recommend the site for an archaeological excavation.
From Sept. 21, 2022 to June 9, 2024, DPAA primary partner Trident Archäologie, along with Wessex Archaeology and volunteers from Project Recover, and with stakeholders from the Royal Danish Navy and the Langelands Museum, returned to the site to conduct further operations, during which they found further material evidence and possible remains. That evidence was also accessioned into the DPAA laboratory.
To identify Hymes' remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome DNA analysis.
Hymes' name is recorded on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Hymes will be buried in Thunderbolt, Georgia, on a date yet to be determined.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hypebeast
14 minutes ago
- Hypebeast
Visionary Painter Raymond Saunders Dies at 90
Summary Raymond Saunders, the radical American artist known for his radical approach to abstraction and assemblage, passed away at the page of 90. His death was confirmed in a joint statement co-published by his representing galleries — Casemore, Andrew Kreps and David Zwirner — earlier this week. Saunders' oeuvre is defined by his resistance to categorization. Through texture, symbolism and material he challenged the viewer to reconsider assumptions about Black identity and cultural expression. In his assemblage-style artworks gestural brushwork sits beside vibrant color fields, notational markings and found objects, and served as a means of interrogating the dense fabric of American history. News of his passing follows the recent close ofFlowers from a Black Gardenat the Carnegie Museum of Art, where he took art classes growing up. The exhibition marked the first major museum retrospective for the two-time National Endowment for the Arts Awards recipient. Born in Pittsburgh in 1934, Saunders received a BFA from Carnegie Institute of Technology, and later moved to Oakland to pursue an MFA the California College of Arts and Crafts, where he became a professor. Saunders leaves behind a legacy of fearless experimentation through bodies of work that bolsters the autonomy and expansivity of Black artisthood. In his 1967 essayBlack Is a Colorhe wrote: 'i'm not here to play to the gallery i am not responsible for anyone's entertainment. i am responsible for being as fully myself, as man and artist, as i possibly can be, while allowing myself to hope that in the effort some light, some love, some beauty may be shed upon the world, and perhaps some inequities put right.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
A Delta pilot narrowly avoided a B-52 collision in North Dakota: 'I don't know why they didn't give us a heads up at all'
A Delta pilot said he avoided a crash with a B-52 bomber after executing an "aggressive maneuver." The Delta flight, which was operated by SkyWest, was headed toward North Dakota. "It caught me by surprise, this is not normal at all," the pilot apologized to passengers. A Delta regional flight traveling from Minneapolis to Minot avoided a mid-air collision with a US Air Force B-52 bomber on Friday. The flight, which was operated by SkyWest Airlines as Delta Connection, was headed toward North Dakota when it encountered a B-52 bomber from Minot Air Force Base. It is unclear how close the two aircraft were to each other when the incident happened. The pilot of SkyWest flight 3788 told passengers that the craft had managed to evade the B-52 after executing an "aggressive maneuver." "I don't know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us, I felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it," the pilot said while apologizing to passengers, per a recording of the conversation. "It caught me by surprise, this is not normal at all. I don't know why they didn't give us a heads up, because the Air Force base does have radar," the pilot continued, adding that it was "not a fun day at work." When approached for comment, Delta Air Lines referred Business Insider to SkyWest Airlines. SkyWest said the flight was originally "cleared for approach by the tower but performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight." It added that the plane had landed safely in Minot and they are "investigating the incident." A US Air Force spokesperson told BI in a statement that the B-52 had been conducting a flyover as part of a "special event recognizing the city of Minot as a 'Great American Defense Community.'" "The flyover was planned in advance and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration," the spokesperson said Crew members were in constant contact with "the FAA's local Flight Standards District Office, Minot International Airport air traffic control personnel, and Minot Approach Control" during the flyover, the statement added. It said that the airport's air traffic control personnel "did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft." The FAA said in a statement to BI on Monday that it is investigating the incident. It added that the airport's air traffic services were "run by a private company" and the "controllers are not FAA employees." In January, an American Airlines flight collided with a UH-60 Black Hawk as it neared the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The collision killed all 67 people abroad the two aircraft. Representatives for Minot Air Force Base did not respond to a request for comment from BI. July 22, 1:30 a.m. — This story has been updated with statements from the US Air Force and the FAA. Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
13 hours ago
- New York Post
B-52 bomber wasn't warned about approaching Delta plane before shocking near-miss in North Dakota: Air Force
Air traffic controllers in North Dakota failed to warn a US Air Force B-52 bomber about an approaching passenger jet, which was forced to take evasive action to avoid a midair collision, the military claimed. The B-52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base was participating in a scheduled flyover at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot Saturday night, just minutes before tragedy nearly struck, according to the Air Force. The planned maneuver had been cleared in advance with the Federal Aviation Administration and air traffic controllers at both Minot International Airport and Minot Air Force Base, with military crews in direct contact throughout, officials said. Advertisement 4 Map showing a near-collision near Minot, ND, between a B-52 bomber and a Delta plane. 'The B-52 crew contacted Minot International Airport tower and the tower provided instructions to continue 2 miles westbound after the flyover,' military officials said in a statement Monday. 'The tower did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft. The B-52 crossed the fairgrounds show center at 7:50 p.m. and proceeded west as directed to clear Minot International Tower's airspace before returning to Minot AFB.' Advertisement The SkyWest Airlines flight – en route from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Minot International Airport – made an unexpected series of 'aggressive' sharp turns mid-air to avoid the incoming bomber, which was reportedly visible from the right-side windows to both crew and passengers. 4 The B-52 bomber was conducting a flyover Saturday when it was given the OK to travel. AP Video taken by a passenger aboard the harrowing Delta-operated aircraft captured the quick-thinking pilot explaining to the 76 travelers and four crew members onboard that he banked hard after spotting the bomber directly in the landing path given by air traffic control. 'Sorry about the aggressive maneuver,' the heroic pilot said in the footage shared on social media. Advertisement 4 The Air Force said air traffic controllers at Minot International Airport failed to warn them about the incoming plane. AP 'It caught me by surprise. This is not normal at all. I don't know why they didn't give us a heads-up, because the Air Force base does have radar … long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it, and thank you for understanding. Not a fun day at work.' While the plane landed safely, the near-miss marks the latest in a string of alarming aviation incidents and tragedies to rattle the skies since the start of the year. 4 The pilot was forced to make an unexpected series of 'aggressive' sharp turns mid-air to avoid the bomber. Advertisement The FAA is investigating Saturday's incident. With Post wires.
