Latest news with #McCook
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
WWII pilot credited with saving airman's life is finally accounted for
A World War II pilot who was remembered for helping fellow servicemembers survive the plane crash that killed him has been accounted for, military officials said this week. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook, 23, of Georgetown, Texas, was a member of the 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force during World War II, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a news release. Before joining the military, McCook had graduated from Southwestern University and came from a family of pilots, according to local newspaper clippings gathered by the DPAA. McCook, nicknamed "Woody," served in China and Burma, according to newspaper clippings. He was one of 20 officers and enlisted men credited for a mission that air-dropped supplies to Allied forces battling Japanese troops in northern Burma. During his service, McCook received the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross, according to newspaper clippings. On August 3, 1943, McCook was the armor-gunner on the B-25C "Mitchell," conducting a low-altitude bombing raid over Meiktila, Burma, the DPAA said. The raid was meant to target the Meiktila dam and nearby Japanese barracks, according to a newspaper clipping. The aircraft crashed during the mission. McCook and three others aboard the plane died, but two men survived. One of the survivors, identified in newspaper clippings as Sgt. John Boyd, said the plane had been hit by an explosive gas shell while flying at a low altitude. McCook, who Boyd recalled "as the best in the business," was able to bring the damaged plane up to an altitude that allowed Boyd and the other surviving soldier to parachute from the craft before it crashed. Boyd said this action allowed him to survive. He and the other soldier were taken captive by Japanese forces, the DPAA said. Boyd spent two years as a prisoner in Rangoon before he was freed, according to newspaper clippings. McCook's remains were not recovered. He was eventually listed as missing in action. In 1947, after World War II ended, the American Grave Registration Service recovered four sets of remains from a common grave near a village in Burma, the DPAA said. Locals said the four sets of remains, designated X-282A-D, were from an "American crash," the DPAA said. But the remains were not identified at the time. They were interred as "Unknowns" at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, or the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii. McCook's name was listed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. In January 2022, the DPAA disinterred all four sets of remains and taken to the agency's laboratory. Dental, anthropological and isotope analyses were conducted. Other military agencies used mitochondrial DNA analysis and genome sequencing data to help identify the remains. The processes allowed the DPAA to identify one of the sets of remains as belonging to McCook. Now that McCook has been accounted for, a rosette has been placed next to his name on the Walls of the Missing. He will be buried in his hometown in August 2025, the DPAA said. Sneak peek: Where is Jermain Charlo? Baldwin grills McMahon on unallocated funds for students, schools, approved by Congress Hegseth orders Navy to rename USNS Harvey Milk, Jeffries calls it "a complete and total disgrace"
CBS News
6 days ago
- General
- CBS News
WWII pilot accounted for 82 years after being credited with saving airman's life in deadly crash
A World War II pilot who was remembered for helping fellow servicemembers survive the plane crash that killed him has been accounted for, military officials said this week. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook, 23, of Georgetown, Texas, was a member of the 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force during World War II, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a news release. Before joining the military, McCook had graduated from Southwestern University and came from a family of pilots, according to local newspaper clippings gathered by the DPAA. McCook, nicknamed "Woody," served in China and Burma, according to newspaper clippings. He was one of 20 officers and enlisted men credited for a mission that air-dropped supplies to Allied forces battling Japanese troops in northern Burma. During his service, McCook received the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross, according to newspaper clippings. On August 3, 1943, McCook was the armor-gunner on the B-25C "Mitchell," conducting a low-altitude bombing raid over Meiktila, Burma, the DPAA said. The raid was meant to target the Meiktila dam and nearby Japanese barracks, according to a newspaper clipping. 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency The aircraft crashed during the mission. McCook and three others aboard the plane died, but two men survived. One of the survivors, identified in newspaper clippings as Sgt. John Boyd, said the plane had been hit by an explosive gas shell while flying at a low altitude. McCook, who Boyd recalled "as the best in the business," was able to bring the damaged plane up to an altitude that allowed Boyd and the other surviving soldier to parachute from the craft before it crashed. Boyd said this action allowed him to survive. He and the other soldier were taken captive by Japanese forces, the DPAA said. Boyd spent two years as a prisoner in Rangoon before he was freed, according to newspaper clippings. McCook's remains were not recovered. He was eventually listed as missing in action. In 1947, after World War II ended, the American Grave Registration Service recovered four sets of remains from a common grave near a village in Burma, the DPAA said. A newspaper clipping describing 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook's heroic actions before the crash that took his life. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Locals said the four sets of remains, designated X-282A-D, were from an "American crash," the DPAA said. But the remains were not identified at the time. They were interred as "Unknowns" at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, or the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii. McCook's name was listed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. In January 2022, the DPAA disinterred all four sets of remains and taken to the agency's laboratory. Dental, anthropological and isotope analyses were conducted. Other military agencies used mitochondrial DNA analysis and genome sequencing data to help identify the remains. The processes allowed the DPAA to identify one of the sets of remains as belonging to McCook. Now that McCook has been accounted for, a rosette has been placed next to his name on the Walls of the Missing. He will be buried in his hometown in August 2025, the DPAA said.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
World War II pilot from Georgetown finally accounted for
The Brief Georgetown pilot killed during World War II finally accounted for Charles W. McCook was killed in a plane crash in Burma McCook will be buried in Georgetown in August WASHINGTON - A Georgetown pilot killed during World War II has finally been accounted for, according to the U.S. government. What we know The U.S. Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) says that 23-year-old Charles W. McCook, a first lieutenant in the Army Air Forces, was accounted for on April 18. McCook, who was from Georgetown, was killed during World War II. In summer 1943, he was a member of the 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force. On Aug. 3, 1943, while he was the Armor-Gunner of a B-25C on a low-altitude bombing raid in Burma, his plane crashed. McCook was one of four killed; the two survivors were captured by Japanese forces. His remains were not recovered after the war, and he was declared missing in action. Dig deeper In 1947, four sets of remains, later designated X-282A-D, were recovered from a common grave near a Burmese village. Local witnesses said the remains came from an "American crash". The remains could not be identified at the time and thus were interred as "unknowns" in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. In Jan. 2022, all four sets of remains were exhumed and taken to the DPAA for analysis. Scientists then used dental, anthropological and isotope analysis to identify his remains. The Armed Forces Medical Examiner System also used mitochondrial DNA analysis and genome sequencing data. What's next McCook will be buried in Georgetown in August. His name was recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines, along with others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to show he has been accounted for. The Source Information in this report comes from the US Dept of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
3 airmen killed in WWII accounted for 82 years after bomber crash
Three airmen who died during a World War II bombing raid have been accounted for, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Thursday. U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook, 23, U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Henry J. Carlin, 27, and U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Sidney Burke, 22, were carrying out a low-altitude bombing raid in Meiktila, Burma on August 3, 1943, the DPAA said. The mission was carried out with a B-25C "Mitchell" bomber. McCook was the plane's pilot. Carlin was its navigator, and Burke was the armor-gunner. There were three other men also aboard the plane. B-25 bombers were among the most famous American planes used in World War II, according to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, and were used in every combat area and extensively in the Pacific Theater. The plane crashed during the raid. Four of the airmen, including McCook, Carlin and Burke, were killed. The two surviving airmen were captured by Japanese forces. The DPAA did not say if the fourth airman who died in the crash or if the two men who were taken captive have been accounted for. McCook, Carlin and Burke's remains were not recovered after World War II ended. All three were declared missing in action. More details about how the three mens' remains were found and identified will be released once their families receive a full briefing, the DPAA said. About 70,000 U.S. service members remain unaccounted for from World War II. Sneak peek: The Detective's Wife Judge halts own order demanding Kilmar Abrego Garcia updates Convicted killer makes shocking courtroom claim after getting life in prison
CBS News
25-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Remains of 3 U.S. airmen killed in WWII identified 82 years after their bomber crashed
Three airmen who died during a World War II bombing raid have been accounted for, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Thursday. U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook, 23, U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Henry J. Carlin, 27, and U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Sidney Burke, 22, were carrying out a low-altitude bombing raid in Meiktila, Burma on August 3, 1943, the DPAA said. The mission was carried out with a B-25C "Mitchell" bomber. McCook was the plane's pilot. Carlin was its navigator, and Burke was the armor-gunner. There were three other men also aboard the plane. B-25 bombers were among the most famous American planes used in World War II, according to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, and were used in every combat area and extensively in the Pacific Theater. View of a B-25 Mitchell bomber in flight, 1940s. Getty Images The plane crashed during the raid. Four of the airmen, including McCook, Carlin and Burke, were killed. The two surviving airmen were captured by Japanese forces. The DPAA did not say if the fourth airman who died in the crash or if the two men who were taken captive have been accounted for. McCook, Carlin and Burke's remains were not recovered after World War II ended. All three were declared missing in action. More details about how the three mens' remains were found and identified will be released once their families receive a full briefing, the DPAA said. About 70,000 U.S. service members remain unaccounted for from World War II.
