Latest news with #Sheppick
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Washington County native, WWII Army Air Forces airman finally accounted for
A Washington County native and Army Air Forces airman killed during World War II has finally been accounted for. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said on Thursday that 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick, 26, of Roscoe, was accounted for on Sept. 20, 2024. Sheppick was assigned to the 320th Bombardment in Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force in March 1944 and deployed in present-day Papua New Guinea, the DPAA said. On the morning of March 11, Sheppick was the navigator on a B-24D Liberator bomber named Heaven Can Wait. The bomber left from Nadzab Strip No. 1 in Papua New Guinea as part of a bombing mission against enemy positions on New Guinea's northern coast. Witnesses from other aircraft report seeing flames in the bomb bay of Sheppick's plane that were spreading to the tail. The bomber was seen pitching up before banking left and crashing into the water. Several aircraft searched for survivors in the area but couldn't find any. It's believed that anti-aircraft fire hit Sheppick's bomber and caused ordnances in the plane to explode, the DPAA says. After the war, the American Graves Registration Service searched battle areas and crash sites in New Guinea. It concluded the search in late 1948, and in 1950, AGRS officials designated Sheppick and his crew members as unrecoverable. In October 2017, DPAA partner organization Project Recover found a B-24's wreckage in Hansa Bay while making sonar scans. Recovery teams excavated the site between March 9 and April 13, 2023, and found possible remains. The evidence was sent to the DPAA's laboratory for analysis. Scientists used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence, to identify Sheppick's remains, the DPAA says. Also, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA analysis. Sheppick's name is listed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, along with others still missing from WWII, the DPAA says. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. Sheppick will be buried in Belle Vernon, though the date has not been set. For family and funeral information, you can call the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490. Sheppick's personnel profile is viewable at Sheppick's initial ID announcement can be found at this link: Sheppick. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania airman killed in WWII now accounted for, to be buried in Belle Vernon
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A Washington County soldier who was recovered in 2017 is now set to be buried in Pennsylvania. U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick, 26, of Roscoe, Pennsylvania, was serving during World War II when he was deployed as part of a mission. In March 1944, he was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force and deployed in present-day Papua New Guinea. On March 11, he was on board the B-24D Liberator bomber called 'Heaven Can Wait' as part of a bombing mission against enemies on the northern coast. Observers from another aircraft reported seeing flames erupting from the bomb bay, spreading to the tail quickly. 19-year-old Pennsylvania soldier killed in WWII bomber crash accounted for Heaven Can Wait was seen pitching up violently before banking left and crashing into the water. It is believed that fire from the enemy hit the plane, causing an explosion. Several aircraft circled the crash site in hopes of locating any possible survivors, but none were found. After the war, military units started recovery missions for missing Americans in the Pacific Theater, and extensive searches were conducted, but the Heaven Can Wait crew members were not found. Then, between 2013 and 2017, a family member of another crew member worked to collect historical data about the accident and present that information. In 2016, Project Recover located the wreckage of the ship in Hansa Bay using sonar scans. In 2019, a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency underwater investigation team conducted several surveys of the wreckage, performing visual inspections and clearing the site of any dangers. From March 9 through April 13, 2023, an underwater recovery team excavated the crash site, where they recovered possible osseous materials and material evidence, including life support equipment and identification tags. The recovered evidence was sent to the DPAA Laboratory for review and analysis. Sheppick was then identified using dental and anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial evidence. His family received a full briefing from the DPPA. His name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to show that he has been accounted for. He is set to be buried in Belle Vernon at a later date. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
