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Fox News
15 hours ago
- General
- Fox News
WWII hero's special memento finally comes home to his family after 80 years
A World War II soldier's dog tag has finally been returned to his family, 80 years after his death. Technical Sergeant Joseph L. Gray was one of 31 U.S. servicemen who tragically died on April 23, 1945, when the group's B-17G Flying Fortress crashed into a mountain on the Isle of Man. The plane never reached its destination after taking off from an airbase in England during World War II, news agency SWNS reported. The tragedy remains the deadliest aviation disaster in the island's history, the same source noted. In 2010, a local metal detectorist discovered Gray's dog tag. The detectorist turned it over to the Manx Aviation and Military Museum, where it was kept safe for years. The tag's return only became possible when Donald Madar, whose great-uncle also died in the crash, made a personal pilgrimage to the crash site this April from his home in Pennsylvania. Madar had been connected to Gray's family since 2020, when Gray's great-niece, Clare Quinn, reached out to him through a Facebook group about the crash. "Something stuck out about the name." "When I was visiting and holding the tag, something stuck out about the name and I remembered the post she had written five years ago," Madar recalled. "She asked about Joseph and told us all about him in a post she uploaded," he added, referring to Clare Quinn. "I then reached out to her. That was where we came up with the plan to return it home through her sister," Madar said. While on the Isle of Man, Madar met with a museum historian, Ivor Ramsden, who handed him the tag along with a personal letter to deliver to Gray's family. The final handoff took place on May 7, when Madar drove 40 minutes to the Brickville House Restaurant in Pennsylvania. "I could see the emotion rush into her - her eyes began to tear up," Madar said about the moment he passed the tag to Bridgette Daily, Clare Quinn's sister. "I could tell it was so important for her family that they took possession of a piece of their history," Madar said. "It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining," he recalled. "We went in blind as we hadn't shared images of each other as we were talking over email," said Madar. "We sat down and talked about the event, the history, and of course, Joseph," he said. "It was great to get to know him through her stories." "I built the moment up, only revealing the letter when I thought it was the right time - it was a wonderful moment," said Madar. Madar said he is "thankful" to the Manx Aviation and Military Museum for helping to make the transfer happen.
BBC News
23-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Family's journey to honour WW2 airman at crash site
Relatives of an American airman who died in the Isle of Man's biggest aviation disaster are visiting the site of the crash 80 years service personnel were travelling from Essex to Northern Ireland on a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber when it hit the rocky hillside of North Barrule, killing all 31 on board. Donald Madar is the great nephew of technician Andy Piter Jr, from Pennsylvania, who was 22 when he died in the crash. He said he was visiting the site with his cousins for the first time "to honour him". Mr Madar had planned on making the trip for the 75th anniversary in 2020 but was unable to due to the coronavirus pandemic. Just weeks before the end of World War Two, on 23 April 1945, the servicemen were due to visit Belfast for a few days of group were to have a short break from the base at Ridgewell in Essex where they repaired Madar said: "I started investigating his life back in 2003 and I was able to talk to many of the folks that he served with at Ridgewell."I kept digging and he became a very interesting figure for us."In his grandmother's house there was "a painting of Andy", he said, adding: "We all looked up to him as our family hero."Mr Madar said he thought it would be very "touching" to visit the site where remains of the wreckage remain to this day. "I'm sure we'll all be shedding a tear, it will be a touching spot," he year, members of the Manx Aviation and Military Museum fly the American flag next to the memorial. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
