Army identifies remains of World War II airmen from Mass.
(Defense Department)
The crew of the B-24D Liberator included Second Lieutenant Kenneth L. Cassidy of Worcester, who is in the back row, second from the left. Second Lieutenant Ronald F. Ward of Cambridge is not pictured, although he was aboard the plane when it was lost on Dec. 3, 1943.
By Globe Staff
The remains of two Massachusetts soldiers who disappeared in a 1942 bombing run over the Bismarck Sea have been identified and will be returned to their families, according to a release issued today by the Defense Department.
The airmen -- Second Lieutenant Ronald F. Ward of Cambridge and Second Lieutenant Kenneth L. Cassidy of Worcester -- were two of 11 soldiers whose remains were identified. The crew of the B-24D Liberator were lost Dec. 3, 1943 after taking off from Dobodura, New Guinea.
According to the Defense Department, the men were on an armed reconnaissance mission over New Hanover Island in the Bismarck Sea. The crew reported dropping their bombs on target but never returned to Dobodura despite several radio contacts with their base.
The men will be buried with full military honors.
The other soldiers were: Captain Robert L. Coleman, of Wilmington, Del.; First Lieutenant George E. Wallinder, of San Antonio, Texas; Second Lieutenant Irving Schechner, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Technical Sergeant William L. Fraser, of Maplewood, Mo.; Technical Sergeant Paul Miecias, of Piscataway, N.J.; Technical Sergeant Robert C. Morgan, of Flint, Mich.; Staff Sergeant Albert J. Caruso, of Kearny, N.J.; Staff Sergeant Robert E. Frank, of Plainfield, N.J.; and Private Joseph Thompson, of Compton, Calif.
