FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – On June 26, 1944, a B-29 Superfortress was returning from a bombing raid on Imperial iron and steel works at Yawata, Kyushu Island, Japan. The aircraft crashed into a rice paddy in the village of Sapekhati, India. All 11 crew members were killed instantly in the crash.
The navigator of the aircraft, U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Walter B. Miklosh, 21, of Chicago, was one of the individuals who lost his life. After more than 78 years, Miklosh was accounted for on May 5, 2023, and was finally laid to rest on American soil Sept. 15, 2023, at the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Pharmaceutical intermediates
“There’s just relief in our family because we finally know where he is,” said Bonnie Wolfe, Miklosh’s niece and oldest living relative. “For the longest time, we were sure he was buried in Manila, Philippines.”
Soldiers from the Fort Huachuca Select Honor Guard conducted the ceremony with full military honors. U.S. Air Force Airmen, family members, community members and motorcyclists from the Patriot Guard Riders were also in attendance.
Three of Miklosh’s living relatives, his nieces Wolfe, Judy Keating and Cindy Culhane, were all in attendance but never had the chance to meet him.
“Their mother never discussed his military experience,” said Robert Wolfe, Bonnie’s husband.
“I think that was something of the times,” said Keating. “I don’t think back in the 1940s they really did go into depth. They came back; they went back to war, and that was it.”
Miklosh was assigned to the 678th Bombardment Squadron, 444th Bombardment Group, 58th Bombardment Wing, Twentieth Bomber Command. The squadron was first activated on March 1, 1943, at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona. It is now known as the 10th Intelligence Support Squadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
“Our squadron lineage goes back to the 678th Bombardment Squadron,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Steven Leforge, commander of the 10th Intelligence Support Squadron. “I feel that [Miklosh] has been on duty ever since and that makes him a Black Knight to this day. I think it’s very important to represent the squadron in welcoming him home.”
“It’s amazing to see the commitment our country has to bringing folks home,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Dan Voorhies from the 20th Air Force, Cheyenne, Wyoming. “Walter was part of our unit – the 20th Air Force would’ve been the command he was assigned to. Today’s Airmen stand on the legacy left by the giants who served before us. Today it’s just an amazing thing to be here for that.”
The first search of the crash site in India occurred on June 28, 1944, just two days after the incident. A team from the 342nd Service Squadron, 329th Service Group visited the crash site but only recovered and identified seven sets of remains.
In September 1948, an American Graves Registration Command team conducted a search of the crash site, but no remains were recovered. On Jan. 2, 1948, Miklosh was declared non-recoverable.
The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command conducted a Joint Field Activity in October 2014 in Sapekhati, India, which led to the location of the crash site and the recovery of life support equipment and wreckage associated with the aircraft. In 2018 and 2019, Southeastern Archaeological Research (SEARCH) excavated the site and recovered possible osseous remains and material evidence.
Wolfe said DNA from one of their male cousins was used to help identify Miklosh’s remains, and they received a phone call a few years later officially identifying his body.
“The repatriation process has been very good for the Miklosh family,” said Cindy Culhane’s husband Bill. “As someone who married into the family, I’ve watched as they’ve learned what Walter did and have grown with an appreciation that one of their relatives made such a sacrifice for the country.”
Miklosh’s ultimate sacrifice will now be remembered and honored by both the family and Air Force leadership.
“On behalf of the 20th Air Force, we come here, and we represent family,” said Master Sgt. John Thompson, first sergeant for 20th Air Force. “There’s nothing more important to our first sergeants than our Airmen and their families. We’re very thankful to be present and that Walter is home and that the family can hopefully find some peace and comfort knowing that we did not leave this Airman behind.”
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or https://www.linkedin.com/company/defense-pow-mia-accounting-agency.
(Editor’s Note: The complete photo album is available online at 2023-09-15 Repatriation of WWII Airman 2nd Lt. Walter Miklosh | Flickr.)
Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
WWII Airman laid to rest after 78 years
WWII Airman laid to rest after 78 years
WWII Airman laid to rest after 78 years
WWII Airman laid to rest after 78 years
WWII Airman laid to rest after 78 years
WWII Airman laid to rest after 78 years
WWII Airman laid to rest after 78 years
CAS 718-08-1 WWII Airman laid to rest after 78 years