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I also have pictures taken from “D” Liberator Bomber of 354 Squadron by P/O Lee on May 3rd 1945 at 14.15 hours flying at 500 ft showing the Rangoon camp with “British Here” clearly written on the roof. These pictures were taken by the aircrsft navigator.
Your loss is beyond heartbreaking. I hope and pray you can put some pressure on JPAC and Congress to find this plane and these men and bring them home.
I’ve started a petition, with help from my fellow CBI kids, to honor the men and women of the CBI and hope you will sign it and forward it to anyone you think is interested. Their stories must be told. This forgotten theater deserves respect and recognition.
Sending you my heart and devotion,
Lisa
I think this is wonderful. my uncle was Sgt.Omar Astin. He came to Mississippi just before he shipped out and I remember how proud we were to be around him not knowing we would never see him again. Many blessings to you for the comfort you bring with these films,THANK YOU and your crew for your research and labor of love for all of our loved ones that did and did not come back.
Hey he was great grandfather I do believe that makes us related!
Time Magazine, May 21, 1945 on page 21 notes the story of Lt. Goad after he was released. His wife, Helen Zuhar Goad, had been told by the Army that he was dead. 18 months later she married Ensign Robert A. MacDowell, still under the impression she was a widow. When told the first husband was still alive, she had to choose which one to keep. She chose Goad and annulled the 2nd marriage.
This information is available on google through a search of their names. I wouldn’t expect them to still be alive, but it would be wonderful to know they stayed together.
I can think of nothing more important than bringing our fallen hero’s home. I’ll pray that this comes very soon. It’s time.
Good Luck!! I fully understand trying to bring home a loved one!!! My Uncle is still missing along with 83 other sailors and the sub. I hope he comes home soon.
Leslie,
I do not know how I can help-but this is GREAT!!! The Garland,TN. Kelley Family are some of the finest people I know; Mr. Albert was my principal at Holmes School and was ALWAYS very helpful to me-so I hope I can do something in return for his family. You were GREAT on Channel 3-spoke VERY well and was always smiling. Good Luck and God Bless you in your endeavor. Bring him home!!!!!!!
My uncle, Capt. Armin John Ortmeyer, Jr. was a P-38 fighter pilot who was shot down over Burma while flying as a bomber escort on November 27, 1943. He was injured and captured by the Japanese. He died in Rangoon Jail on January 13, 1945, of mistreatment, malnutrition and dysentery. His remains were definitely on C-47 43-48308, as reported to my family by the War Department.
My family also is very grateful that the plane has been found, and we are awaiting the recovery of the remains of the 50 men on board. Thank you for your fine web site. Patricia Barry
Thank you so much for yor efforts to get John’s body back home. I remember John in High School. I can see him now as he got the football and ran for a toucdown.
He was a hansome guy. When he was home on furlough he came to Garland Methodist church one Sunday morning in his dress unifoorm. My thoughts were, “I would like to wear a uniform like that”. Little did I know that later on I would wear that type uniform and fly in a B-24 as a nivigator. I lost 8 of my crew members.including my bombadier, in a mid air collision in the Adratic sea.Not many people living in Garland remember John.
Hi, Leslie,
(To others: Leslie and I are research pals from the Internet.)
The site is so clean and logical — and the latest videos are just stunning. I have begun compiling a few tweaks to your writeup.
For example, the Japanese fighters in the footage are Oscars, not Zeros. The Oscar (Nakajima Ki-43) was the Japanese Army Air Force’s main single-engine fighter in most theaters, and freeze-framing of a couple of your video images confirms the distinct shape of the Oscar. Mitsubishi Zeros were a Japanese Navy fighter that looked similar in many ways to the Oscar but just was not in Burma, with only a couple of exceptions. The air war over Burma was mostly a Japanese Army Air Force domain.
I’ve reviewed the first two videos…will get to the others as I can, and then I’ll send all my notes at once.
Stunning, just stunning, to see John in his prime.
Take care, and congratulations on a great site.
Thanks, Matt.
I appreciate the info on the Japanese fighter planes. My very limited knowledge of those air combat scenes was taken from the 5×8 cards from the archives that appear to be the camera man’s notes. They may very well be lacking in accuracy.
Also, to anyone else out there that has corrections or additions to the information that I have posted on the site, I invite and encourage your comments. While I try to present the most factual of information, sometimes my sources are not always accurate. The more discussion occurs on a subject, the more details are revealed, which then leads to more thorough research.
Thank you to all who have contributed to this journey so far. We couldn’t have made these huge strides in our last few years of research without each and everyone of you. I truly appreciate those of you who have shared your knowledge with us.
Take care to you all and keep reading the site. We will have more to come!
Leslie
Your tribute is beautiful. All Americans owe your Uncle John a tremendous debt for his ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
My Mother & Dad married just 3 days prior to John Kelley 2nd enlistment. My father then served aboard the USS Washington (BB-56) and was lucky enough enough to come home.
I personally knew and deeply respected and admired another airman, Sgt John Boyd, who sat with your uncle on the night he died. Sgt Boyd was one of the lucky patriots who survived Rangoon City Jail. Our community of Mayfield, KY was blessed by his service during the war as well as his civic efforts throughout his life. Wayne Y.
Leslie:
A wonderful website describing a unique and fascinating John.
John looks alot like Mr. Albert. I think it is great that you are working on this project.
Harold Goad looks like my cousin Larry Goad (Harold’s nephew).
My father, Charles W. Perry, Morristown,TN, was a Japanese POW at the Rangoon Jail in Burma. There is no listing for this prison camp in your list. I cannot find too much information on this POW camp. It seems it was the forgotten prison camp.
Glenda P. Lawson
Glenda,
My father Capt Donald V. “Red” Miller was also a POW in Rangoon prison. I have a newspaper article Dad kept that would be of interest to you. Don’t know if the webmaster allows posting e-mail addresses here, but perhaps they can put us in touch via e-mail. There is some info on Rangoon prison on the web if you just Google it or “Rangoon gaol”. Also visit “Wartime Memories Project” and at the bottom of the website is a link to some pics of Rangoon prison. There is a mostly factual history of the prison in WW II if you Google “Rangoon Prison – Capt Norwood” – then click on the first link that pops up. There are also several books on the prison written by POWs.
A beautiful tribute. Now I know what John looks like and hopefully can find more pictures of him in my mother’s old photos.
Pat Nelson, daughter of Martha McDow Nelson
Hello all. I am Leslie Kelley Roane, the grand-niece of Lt. John C. Kelley, and I serve as web site administrator. I along with two cousins, Sue Krall (niece) and Amy Krall (grand-niece), have created this website to share the research that we have compiled on our Uncle John and to serve as a tribute to his service to our country and the ultimate sacrifice that he paid for our freedom. This has been a true labor of love for each of us, and we hope that you enjoy the site and will leave a message in our guestbook.
Best wishes,
Leslie