Airman Served in WW2, Now He is Finally Coming Home 81 Years After He Died

In 1944, during WWII, Lt. Thomas “Tobie” Kelly was sent to New Guinea on assignment, only to be shot down mere days later. He was missing in action (MIA) for over eight decades. Now, after 81 years, his family is finally receiving the soldier’s remains.

On Memorial Day 2013, Tobie’s second cousin, Scott, who was born long after Tobie was alive, started to research Tobie’s crash. Scott works as a professor at the University of Illinois, researching wartime communications. It took 12 years, but he eventually gathered enough information about the crash to investigate the site.

How The Airman Came Home 81 Years After He Died

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His mom, Sandy, Tobie’s first cousin, recalled Scott telling her, “'Mom, I want to know the name of your cousin, who died, because I want to honor him today.’”

Scott contacted Project Recover, a non-profit that helps MIA families locate their loved ones. The organization helped retrieve Tobie’s remains from Hansa Bay, New Guinea, through robotic technology. His family received his body this year, on Memorial Day.

"We were fortunate that, in spite of the catastrophic nature of the crash, that enough of it was held together, to do the recovery," said Patrick Scannon, a Co-Founder of Project Recover.

Closure At Last

"When there is an MIA, Missing In Action, there is no body coming home to bury. It caused our family to believe he was dead,” Sandy said. “But then there was bit that said, 'maybe he is still alive.' You know? And so, we didn't have the closure. But now we have the closure. So now he is home.”

An Incredible Legacy

Sandy was only 3 and a half years old when Tobie died, but she remembers him well. He wrote many letters to her family and always mentioned her. Reading the letters as an adult made her feel loved, even though Tobie had been gone for decades.

“I was just so touched!" Sandy said.

Isn’t this a beautiful story of restoration and honor? Tobie gave his life to his country. Even after so many years, he is still being honored. His sacrifice is not forgotten.

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h/t: ABC 7

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Michaela Gordoni is an avid reader and part-time globe-trotter. With a bachelor's degree in International Relations and experience in the non-profit world, she has a passion for people and reporting. You can check out her portfolio here.