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AF announces Operation Colony Glacier casualty recovery

  • Published
  • By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  The Air Force announced Feb. 19 the names of two Airmen who have been recovered from a C-124 Globemaster II aircraft that was lost in 1952.

Capt. Kenneth Duvall and 2nd Lt. Robert Moon have been recovered and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

On Nov. 22, 1952, the Globemaster crashed while en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from McChord AFB, Washington. There were 11 crewmen and 41 passengers on board. Adverse weather conditions precluded immediate recovery attempts. In late November and early December 1952, search parties were unable to locate and recover any of the service members.

On June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard (AKNG) UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew spotted aircraft wreckage and debris while conducting a training mission over the Colony Glacier, immediately west of Mount Gannett. Three days later, another AKNG team landed at the site to photograph the area and they found artifacts at the site that related to the wreckage of the C-124. Later that month, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and Joint Task Force team conducted a recovery operation at the site and recommended it continue to be monitored for possible future recovery operations.

In 2013, additional artifacts were visible and every summer since then, during a small window of opportunity, Alaskan Command and AKNG personnel have been supporting the joint effort of Operation Colony Glacier.

Medical examiners from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used testing done by the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory, along with other forensic evidence, in the identification of the service members. DNA testing continues to identify the remaining personnel. The crash site continues to be monitored for future possible recovery.

For more information, contact Air Force Public Affairs at 703-695-0640. For service record specific information, contact the National Archives at 314-801-0816.