On October 23, 2026, I had the honor of attending the homegoing services for Captain Jerome Goebel. It was a day filled with emotions, gratitude, tears, and the realization of just how important it is to never stop telling their stories.

My relationship with the Goebel family began long before Captain Goebel was identified. His niece, Ms. Janice Purdy, first contacted me in September 2012. His granddaughter, Amber Ewing, reached out in June 2016, and Mona Kline contacted me in May 2025. They were all searching for answers about the plane, the crash, and what happened to their loved one.

Over the years, those conversations continued. When I was invited to participate in a CBS Sunday Morning segment, I reached out to Captain Goebel’s nephew and niece, who graciously agreed to share their family’s story.

As the date for his homecoming approached, Mrs. Mona called to let me know. I immediately made arrangements to attend. There was no way I was going to miss this moment.

As I pulled into the cemetery, I saw a long line of vehicles following the hearse. All I could think was, *What a beautiful family gathering to bring their loved one home after 73 years.*

Then came a moment I will never forget. As I walked back to my car, someone rolled down the passenger window and asked, “Are you Tonja?” It was Mrs. Mona! We hugged and laughed about finally putting a face with the person we had been texting. It was such a special moment.

I also had the opportunity to meet Matthew from AFMAO and Captain Middleton of the Air Force, who served as the escort for Captain Goebel’s remains.

A little later, Captain Goebel’s daughter approached me, and we embraced. She said, “Tonja, thank you so much.”

What I wanted to say was that there was no need to thank me. This was a promise I made to my grandmother: **I would not stop until they ALL came home.**

At 11:15 a.m., it was time to lay Captain Goebel to rest. As the motorcycle escort began and the hearse slowly made its way through the cemetery, family members and loved ones gathered to witness this long-awaited moment.

A song written by a member of the Goebel family was played during the service. Listening to those words brought tears to my eyes. It was heartbreaking, yet incredibly powerful. It told his story through the hearts of those who loved him.

Afterward, we gathered at a restaurant, where I had the opportunity to meet more family members and share the story of the C-124 Globemaster II.

One moment that especially touched me was hearing his son, Rick, speak about his father. He was so young when his father was lost that much of what he knew came from family stories.

Something he said compelled me to walk over and share what I knew about the aircraft. I was also able to confirm that there were documents aboard the plane. What he had heard was, in part, true.

I hugged him and told him, **”He is home now.”**

As I stood there, I couldn’t help but think about my own father. He, too, grew up with stories about his father, Airman Isaac Anderson Sr. My father had only two photographs and no true memories of the man himself.

That is something many families of missing servicemen understand. Generations grow up with unanswered questions, stories, photographs, and the hope that someday they will know what happened.

To the Goebel family, THANK YOU for welcoming me, allowing me to answer your questions, sharing your stories, and permitting me to be part of such a meaningful day. It was truly an honor.

Captain Jerome Goebel, you are HOME. 🇺🇸

This is why Honored Bound Inc exists. It is not just about finding missing aircraft. It is about the men aboard, the families left waiting, and making sure their names and stories are never forgotten.

**One promise. One mission. Until they ALL come home.**

**HONORED BOUND INC**

*Until They ALL Come Home.*

“The biggest honor we can give our fallen soldiers… is to share their names and tell their stories.”
— Jena Malone

#HonoredBoundInc #UntilTheyAllComeHome #CaptainJeromeGoebel #C124Globemaster #MilitaryHistory #NeverForgotten #BringThemHome #OperationalLoss

MARINETTE, Wis. (WBAY) – Daniel McMann died in an Air Force crash more than 7 decades ago, and his final resting place is now his hometown.

It’s a homecoming over 73 years in the making.

“We would’ve traveled around the world to make this happen,” said Mary Sullivan, Daniel’s cousin.

Mary Sullivan is one of over 100 family and community members who came to Marinette on Wednesday to honor Daniel McMann, a 22-year-old airman second class who died alongside 51 others in 1952 after his plane, bound for Elmendorf Air Force Base, crashed in Alaska.
“It doesn’t matter if it was 75 years ago or tomorrow. They all deserve our respect,” said Sullivan.

McMann’s remains were some of the last identified at the crash site, thanks in part to Tonja Anderson-Dells, the founder of “Homeward Bound”.

“I’m honor-bound to make sure our military holds true to make sure we never leave all our fallen behind,” said Anderson-Dells.

Tonja’s grandfather died in the same crash that killed McMan.

To read more: https://www.wbay.com/2026/06/17/remains-marinette-airman-killed-1952-plane-crash-return-home/

The Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, in partnership with the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, announced Jan. 7 that the remains of all 52 service members lost in the 1952 crash of an Air Force C-124 Globemaster II at Colony Glacier, Alaska, have been positively identified.

Operation Colony Glacier is a joint recovery effort that began in 2012 to recover and identify the remains of those lost when the aircraft crashed into Mount Gannett Nov. 22, 1952. The glacier’s movement gradually brought wreckage and remains to the surface, allowing teams from the Air Force, Alaska National Guard and other War Department entities to locate, recover and repatriate the remains.

“Reaching this point — identifying all 52 of our fallen service members — represents the highest fulfillment of our sacred duty to bring our fallen home,” said Air Force Col. Martha Sasnett, commander, AFMAO. “It reflects years of dedication by countless airmen, scientists and support personnel committed to returning these heroes home.”

The identification process was conducted by AFMES experts using advanced DNA analysis and forensic techniques to ensure each service member was accurately identified and returned to their families with dignity and honor.

To read more” https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4375708/operation-colony-glacier-brings-full-identification-for-all-52-fallen-service-m/

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 prints were left on a mile-long glacier that he’d touched in the mountains of Alaska more than 70 years ago during the Korean War, officials said.

The C-124 Globemaster II cargo plane he occupied, along with 51 others, was returning from Washington state to Alaska when a blizzard threw it off course, plummeting the aircraft into Mount Gannett on Nov. 22, 1952, according to the St. David’s Episcopal Church in Southfield.

Weather conditions, according to officials, delayed initial rescue operations and eventually buried the crash site.

There were no survivors.

The effort to identify and recover the remains and personal items from the crash site was aided by Tampa resident Tonja Anderson-Dell, president and founder of Honored Bound, a nonprofit that retrieves remains and personal effects from military planes lost outside of conflicts.

It was a personal mission for Anderson-Dell, as her grandfather, 21-year-old airman Issac William Anderson Sr., was among the 51 onboard with Coombs. Anderson’s remains were identified four years ago.

Cronin said his team has conducted recovery efforts each summer in grids. At one point in 2018, as he observed which area they’d probe next, he looked down and saw “a sliver of silver,” which later was identified as Anderson-Dell’s grandfather’s dog tags, hanging halfway out of the ice. They also recovered a tooth, which was later confirmed as belonging to her grandfather.

We’ve all just become family,” Anderson-Dell said. “This family has waited 71 years for this type of closure.”

Cronin said that once a war loss from a past conflict has been identified, his branch informs families of fallen service persons that they’ve located their loved ones.

The downed aircraft that carried Coombs and 51 others, Cronin noted, was a “mission loss,” which is not considered a “past conflict.”

“These are different criteria for the government because there is no funding for mission losses,” Cronin said. “(The government) formulated an organization called DPAA (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) to search for our war losses, but nobody’s been formulated to search for our mission losses,” he added.

According to the U.S. government, the Korean War resulted in the deaths of 54,246 veterans. A report released by the Veterans Affairs Department added that 33,739 accounted for battle deaths, 2,835 involved in-theater deaths and 17,672 accounted for non-theater fatalities. In-theater deaths, according to census.gov, “refers to the geographic area in which wartime operations occurred.” Non-theater deaths “refers to all other areas worldwide.”

Cronin said search and recovery efforts happen initially when incidents occur, but if nothing is found, “it’s closed.” The average cost for one search and recovery initiative for war losses is $1.5 million, he said.

“I don’t think it’s enough (money),” Cronin said of the value of recovering lost loved ones. “I get it because I see what the end result becomes,” adding that such discoveries bring peace to families.

Jakkar Aimery: The Detroit News

After being missing in action since the Korean War, Capt. Delbert D. Draskey was laid to rest with his family by his side, Oct. 17, 2023, at Holy Cross Cemetery in Calumet City, Illinois.
On the tragic day of Nov. 22, 1952, Draskey and 51 other Airmen and Soldiers aboard the C-124 Globemaster II were killed when it crashed into Mount Gannet, east of Anchorage, Alaska, on its approach to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Now, over seven decades since the crash, the search for Draskey is over, and his family was able to give him the send-off he rightfully deserved—with full military honor from the Scott Air Force Base Honor Guard.

Scott Air Force Base Honor Guardsmen transport the casket of deceased Capt. Delbert Draskey during Draskey’s funeral, at Holy Cross Cemetery in Calumet City, Illinois, Oct. 17, 2023. Draskey was one of 52 Airmen and soldiers aboard the C-124 Globemaster II that crashed into Mount Gannet near Anchorage, Alaska, Nov. 22, 1952. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration by Airman 1st Class De’Quan Simmons)

U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Anthony Harris, Scott Air Force Base Honor Guard Non-commissioned officer in charge, presents the folded American Flag to the family of Capt. Delbert Draskey during Draskey’s funeral ceremony at Holy Cross Cemetery in Calumet City, Illinois, Oct. 17, 2023. As the American flag was ceremoniously folded and handed over to Draskey’s next of kin, it symbolized the culmination of a lengthy process. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class De’Quan Simmons)

The crash has birthed books such as Tonja Anderson-Dell’s “Gifts from a Glacier.” Like the experience of many military families, the service of their loved ones bonds them together. This is even more prominent when military families experience loss together.

“Through this journey, the other families and I have become like family ourselves. When my grandfather returned home four years ago, the representatives of ten families were there waiting,” said Anderson-Dell. “I search for other flights with missing individuals and help those families as well; our crash gives them hope.”

To Read more: https://www.scott.af.mil/News/Features/Display/Article/3565733/a-heros-return-capt-delbert-d-draskey-mia-since-1952-laid-to-rest/

“Bring him home,” said Gail Daugherty’s sister, Claudette. Gail and 18 others died in an Alaskan plane crash in 1952. Now, the military searches for what remains.

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 on board.

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, UNITED STATES
06.16.2023
Photo by Tech. Sgt. Donald Hudson
Alaskan NORAD Region/Alaskan Command/11th Air Force
To read and see more: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7891302/operation-colony-glacier-2023

Col. Noel Hoblit comes home from Toy Box Studios on Vimeo.

For the past decade, a multi-disciplinary team based at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage has been engaged in what is perhaps the longest-running recovery effort in the history of the U.S.