Despite harsh weather, time, elevation and the odds: Identity. It was a fingerprint found in the ice last year that led to the discovery of 31-year-old Detroit U.S. Air Force Capt. William “Bill” Coombs, whose … Read More
Operation Colony Glacier 2023
Colony Glacier, Alaska, June 16, 2023. Operation Colony Glacier is an effort to recover the remains of service members and wreckage from a C-124 Globemaster II that crashed in November 1952 with 52 military members … Read More
CAPT Robert W Turnbull (2014)
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) — Never leave an Airman behind. These words are a staple in the Air Force and echoed by men and women every day through the Airman’s Creed. “I … Read More
Operational Loss Col Hoblit
Col. Noel Hoblit comes home from Toy Box Studios on Vimeo.
Trip to Dover, DE
Standing in front of the last C-124 Globemaster like the one my grandfather died on. ~until they all come home
2022 Alaska Trip (Gamble Chalk 1)
I have started my yearly trip to Alaska to look for Operational Loss servicemen/women and their missing planes. Stopped by Senator Lisa Murkowski and Daniel Sullivan’s office as well to tell them our story and … Read More
Arctic Angels’ assist with 2022 Colony Glacier recovery efforts
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — On November 22, 1952, a U.S. Air Force C-124 Globemaster II flying from McChord Air Force Base, Washington, to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, crashed into 9,629-foot Mount Gannett. All … Read More
A Recovery Mission Continues—Nearly Seven Decades Later
In 1952, a C-124 flew straight into a remote Alaskan mountain top, killing all aboard. Here’s the story of what it’s taking to bring them home. In the 1950s, the C-124 was the largest … Read More
Honoring the Tuskegee Airmen in Michigan
Eric Bryant, the nephew of Tuskegee Airman Lt. Frank H. Moody, examines the throttle and mixture controls recovered from his uncle’s wrecked P-39 Airacobra. (Photo by Wayne R. Lusardi) By Wayne R. Lusardi, Michigan Department … Read More
Gamble Chalk 1 and the Quest for “Boots on the Ground”
August of 2021, I went to Alaska to look for the C-119 that went missing November 15, 1952 (20 servicemen) and could possibly be on Mount Iliamna. While I was there, I was also able … Read More