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Right on the heels of Veterans Day,
we received some exciting news that we are proud to share. The first official identification from the "Heaven Can Wait" crew has been publicly released... Their Courage Remembered, Their Journey Completed:
The Return of Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr.
After 80 years, a promise has been fulfilled. U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr., bombardier aboard the B-24 Heaven Can Wait, has
finally been identified and will return home to Livermore, California.
On March 11, 1944, Lt. Kelly and his ten crewmates departed Nadzab Strip #1, Papua New Guinea, for a bombing mission against Japanese positions. Their B-24 took anti-aircraft fire, causing a fire
to break out in the bomb bay that soon engulfed the rear of the aircraft. The last sight of Heaven Can Wait was haunting yet heroic—co-pilot 2nd Lt. M.J. McFadden offering a final salute as the aircraft banked away, trailing flames, before disappearing into Hansa Bay's waters.
Lt. Kelly was just 21 years old.
Photo courtesy of Kelly family.
The journey home began on Memorial Day 2013 when Scott Althaus began researching what happened to his first cousin once removed on that final mission. A simple family history project became an extraordinary quest spanning five continents. The Kelly family spent years piecing together military records, maps, and eyewitness accounts.
Their breakthrough came from an unexpected source: a single diary entry that precisely placed Heaven Can Wait along the northern edge of Awar Point. In June 2016 with this crucial information, a member of the Kelly Family research team contacted representatives from Project Recover. The timing for this connection was ideal as Project Recover was
preparing for a search mission in Papua New Guinea. Althaus provided Project Recover with a 32-page report on the crew’s final mission. In late 2017 a Project Recover field team armed with advanced sonar and underwater robotics scanned nearly 27 square kilometers of seafloor in the bay that the plane went down in. Near the end of their time on site they located the B-24 resting in 213 feet of water.
Image: Scripps Institute of Oceanography.
“I still remember the call that I received from Project Recover on Good Friday of 2018 telling me that they had found the plane,” says Althaus. “That Easter Weekend was a time of profound
gratitude and unexpected grieving for a relative that I had never met. The grieving was a surprise for me and for all of the Kelly relatives–everyone I spoke to had also responded to the news with unexpected tears. For the first time in 74 years his family members were able to see his final resting place in the images of the aircraft wreckage that Project Recover brought back from its mission.”
But that wouldn’t be Lt. Kelly’s final resting place. The discovery set in motion a complex recovery operation that took place in early 2023. The site's depth required a specialized Navy diving unit, and archaeologists meticulously documented and recovered items that could help identify the crew. DPAA scientists used multiple methods, including DNA analysis, to conclusively identify Lt. Kelly's remains.
"This remains important because we as Americans make a promise to families and those that serve that we will do everything in our power to return them home to their loved
ones should they fall in service to our Nation," explains Derek Abbey, Project Recover CEO. "That promise does not have an expiration date."
In early 2025 Lt. Kelly will be laid to rest in his hometown of Livermore, California, completing a journey that began in the
skies over Papua New Guinea more than eight decades ago. His name on the Walls of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery will receive a rosette, marking his return.
“I’m still trying to process how a few hours of Internet searching back in 2013 could have led to all of this,” says Althaus. “But I know for sure that Project Recover played the key role. Finding the plane should have been an impossible task. And now the Kelly
family will finally know what it means to have our loved one returned to us.”
Kelly family research team and extended family. Photo courtesy of Kelly family.
The identification of Lt. Kelly represents more than the return of one brave airman—it demonstrates the unwavering commitment to bring every service member home. It shows how modern technology, family dedication, and institutional persistence can help heal, even after 80 years. Most importantly, it fulfills a sacred promise to those who gave
everything in service to their country: you will never be forgotten, and we will never stop searching until you're home.
Through the combined efforts of the Kelly family, Project Recover, DPAA, the Navy Experimental Diving Unit and countless others, Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr.'s courage has been remembered, and his journey is finally complete.
Giving Tuesday - Less Than 2 Weeks Away!
Following our Thanksgiving dinners
and get togethers is our nation's collective day of giving and philanthropy. Our nation's Gold Star MIA families have endured many holiday season's without their loved ones - service members who made the commitment to defend and fight, so we didn't have to. They paid the price with their lives. Make a gift in their honor on Tuesday, December 3rd. It's our turn to be there for them and their families.
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Tribute Donations - October 2024 🎖️ Join us in keeping the memory alive of those we've lost, and honoring those who inspire us in the present.
~In loving memory of William Donald Dean, son of Ens Donald W Dean who was shot down over Truk 2/17/1944, from Lisa Millwood.
~In memory of 1st Lt Grant Martel Rea and the crew of "Sky Tramp"; MIA August 24th 1944. Until they all come home. From Chip Jacoby
~In loving memory of Margaret Olcott, from Janet Olcott.
~In memory of Kevin Coe, from Charles Hesse.
~In memory of Cpl David Wishon, from Tim Champ.
~In memory of George J. Swim, from Kathy Lindauer.
~In memory of Dennis McKeen, MIA, Bastogne, Belgium, January 3rd, 1945. From Bill Lockhart.
~In memory of Gary Bossio, from Alison Bartko.
~In memory of William Linck, from David Friedlander.
~In memory of Felton Lancaster. Thank you for your service to our country. I never knew you in life but I will meet you in the resurrection. From Gregory Sheppard.
~In honor of Cpt. Alfred M Fite Jr. WWII B-17 pilot and Cpt. David M Fite, National Guard KC-135 pilot lost in service, from Rachel Beard.
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With Gratitude, Michelle Abbey Director of Community & Donor Relations Project Recover |
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