Fallen American Veterans Foundation

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency ( ) announced Private 1st Class Harry Jerele, 26, of Berkeley, , who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during , was December 20, 2023.

In the summer of 1942, Jerele was a member of the 192nd Tank Battalion, U.S. Army, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.

Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Jerele was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.

To identify Jerele’s remains, scientists used anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence. Armed Forces Medical Examiner System ( ) scientists used mitochondrial ( ) analysis.

DPAA is grateful to the ABMC and the United States Army for their partnership in this mission.

Read Jerele's full press release here:https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Press-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/3745426/soldier-accounted-for-from-wwii-jerele-h/


. . .

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency ( ) announced that Capt. Erik F. Yde, 32, of , , killed during the , was June 22, 2023.

In June 1950, Yde, a member of Headquarters, Headquarters Battery, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, was captured as a POW during a retreat from Wonju near Hoengsong, South Korea. He was separated from his unit due to intense fighting and was last seen attempting to bypass an enemy roadblock. Reports from in 1953 indicated that Yde had been a POW and died in June 1951 at POW Camp #1.

To identify Yde’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, chest radiograph comparison, and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System ( ) used mitochondrial ( ) analysis.

Learn more about Yde's Identification here: https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/3729020/soldier-accounted-for-from-korean-war-yde-e/



. . .

The Rescue of The PN9E Crew: Monteverde, Spina & Best
April 6, 1943

Today marks 81 years since the 3 remaining crewmembers of B-17 PN9E crew are finally rescued, but barely.
Headstrong, Col. Bernt Balchen is determined to rescue the last 2 survivors of the PN9E who crashed Nov 9th of 1942.
Monty, Spina and Best have received word that a rescue is imminent, speared by Col. Balchen, Barney Dunlop, Capt. Harold Strong, Sgt. Joseph Healey and Hendrik "Dutch" Dolleman flying "Dumbo" ( PBY). After 2 weeks of trekking through the snow and near death, yet again, they finally make it aboard the PBY who is frozen to the ice. The crew has to alternate jumping on each wing to break the bond to the ice. Once freed the PBY needs to start moving so not to get stuck again. Monteverde and crew have to jump into the moving PBY. One engine catches fire. Monty, Spina and Best question if they will survive this rescue. Things level off, but they have little fuel, barely enough to make it to BE-2 ( Bluie East-2 ). And barely make it they did. Fuel is fumes now and Dunlop alerts the crew to prepare for crash landing. As they are coming into sight of BE-2, they have to manually lower the landing gear, but the nose landing will not budge.
Turner's B-17 (who's been keeping the PN9E crew alive with death defying air drops of supplies) is seen taxied near the runway. Dunlop magnificently lays down Dumbo but now they are skidding with only the nose touching the ice, the rest of the PBY in the air. But they still aren't out of danger. The wind shifts Dumbo right towards Turner's plane ! They are heading straight for it. Dunlop applies the brakes with all his might and the PBY stops 15 ft from crashing into Turner's B-17 !
Acclaimed author Mitchell Zuckoff goes into detail of the PN9E crews ordeal while on the ice, the last 3 stranded for 148 days. Including the su***de pact Monty, Spina and Best made, in hopes that no one else would lose their lives in attempting their rescue. We should all be greatful to Turner for sternly snapping them out of it.
The PN9E survivors will go on to lead amazing lives and some go back to serve their country without missing a beat.

"My father was a hero many times over", Monty's son Rick recalls. "He received many medals including the Silver Star for his roll in the Berlin Airlift. But one thing he didn't talk about much was his ordeal in Greenland." Rick Monteverde

" The sacrifices our brave men and women experience during wartime leaves unimaginable consequences within them as well as their loved ones.
Many of our service members did/do not talk about what the had to endure. The affects of death all around them and survivor guilt is too heavy to imagine. Counseling wasn't an option until recently and many succumbed to self medication, in various forms, and still do. This, unfortunately, leads to affecting their loved ones. Anger, resentment and bitterness are just a few examples of generational consequences the children of our brave service members have endured. As children we aren't capable of understanding what they went through, they are just Dad or Mom, grandpa or grandma, uncles and aunts to us. But as adults we can ATTEMP to put ourselves in their shoes and heal the hurts with forgiveness, understanding and grace." Jennifer Lehr

If you would like to make a pledge on behave of an American Hero, please consider Fallen American Veterans Foundation ( 501.c3)

YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN

HONOR THE PROMISE
LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND

C-53 Crew
J2F-4 Crew
We will bring you home !

28-29 NOV 1942
"GRUMMAN "DUCK " J2F-4 V-1640"
28 NOV 1942
B-17 PN9E Radioman Cpl. Loren Howarth has made a dramatic plea to USCG Cutter Northland.."Situation Grave. A Very Sick Man. Hurry."
When Northland's Amphibian Grumman "Duck" J2F-4 V-1640 pilot Lt. John Pritchard hears the pleas, he kicks into action. Pritchard's plan is to land the duck as close as possible to the B-17 wreckage. He estimates 3 trips to rescue the entire 9 person crew and selects Radioman FC Benjamin Bottoms to join him.
This trip is beyond courageous. Heroism at its finest. With complete disregard for their own safety, they are determined to rescue the slowly dying men on the PN9E. The Northland crew stands on deck and cheers on while watching Pritchard lift the duck through the air.
Col. Balchen has scouted a "safe" sight for them to land and has dropped them supplies for their almost 2 mile hike to the B-17 wreckage.
Pritchard locates the PN9E, but Capt. Monteverde tells them not to land, it's too dangerous! They desperately need rescue, but they don't want anyone else to be stranded or worse, lose their life.
Pritchard tells Monty "Coming Anyway". The PN9E crew are in tears. The tears are a mixture of admiration, elation, worry and uncertainty.
Pritchard and Bottoms land but with the greastest of difficulty.
They start their hour long trek to the wreckage. Along the way Pritchard nearly looses his life when he inadvertently steps and slips into the edge of a crevasse. Narrowly, he is able to pull himself out using supplies Balchen had dropped earlier.
They make it to the PN9E with many praises and a concerned "You shouldn't have landed. Now you may not be able to get off", from Monteverde. To which Pritchard replies," I came prepared to stay."
Monty has to make a difficult decision. Who is rescued first?
There's limited space in the Duck and an arduous journey back through 2 miles of snow.
After consideration, Monty selects Tucciarone and Puryear. O'Hara and Spina are in the worst shape, but there's no way they can might the trip back on foot. Tucciarone and Puryear refuse to be first and offer Best and Spencer the spot, but they also refuse..Monty puts his Capt. foot down and Tucciarone and Puryear are the ones to go.
The trek back isn't easy. Tucciarone and Puryear are delirious, near death and need to be dragged.
They finally make it to the Duck and off to Northland they go!
They arrive safely to cheers at the sight of the rescued Tucciarone and Puryear and the marvel of Lt. Pritchard pulling off this utterly dangerous stunt.
29 NOV 1942
The following day the two man Duck crew heads out again for a second rescue. But this days weather isn't so good. Pritchard sees that the fog is quickly moving in. They need to move fast to get the next crewmember back.
They land again in the same location as yesterday and make the same trek to an encouraged PN9E crew.
Again, with much consideration, Monty selects Cpl. Lolly Howarth to head back with the Duck crew.
They make the hike safely to the Duck, board the plane and wag their wings at the PN9E crew.
Monty is scared for their flight back Northland, and with good reason.
9 minutes in to their return flight, Northland receives a panicked message from the Grumman J2F-4: " MO's, MO's QUICK!"
Northland sends an immediate response with the Ducks magnetic orientation, but receives no response. He keeps trying. Silence is the only message coming through...

To be continued..

Be sure to follow Fallen American Veterans Foundation for this continuing story that started 5 Nov and will run through April 2024.
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24 NOV 1942
"THE LAST VIKING & THE DRAGONFLY"
It's two days away from Thanksgiving. The PN9E crew is out of food and have lost a lot of weight. They are weak, exhausted, in pain, scared and trying their hardest not to sink into the bottomless pit of depression. They wonder how much more they can endure.
Enter legendary Colonel Bernt Balchen, commander of Bluie West-8 (BW-8). His list of accomplishments are so vast and jaw dropping, he will be showcased forthcoming. Suffice it to say, this "Last Viking" (one of his nicknames) is a true Hero many times over!
The fearless Colonel made a promise to the PN9E crew, supplies and rescue will be coming.
At BW-8 Balchen commandeers a C-54 Skymaster, loads it with supplies and sets out searching. He searches until no daylight is left, it was now dark and he needs to head back to base. But something catches his eye. A bright small red light, then another and another! He changes course and drops his altitude for a better look. As he through the C-54 cockpit windshield he spots what looks like a "crushed dragonfly", it's the PN9E!!
The bomber is in two pieces and the tail ,he estimates, is hanging over a large crevasse at a 30° angle. He also notices the plane has crashed in the worst terrain possible and he won't be able to land, sitting on top of an active glacier with crevasses to numerous to count. The only way for rescue will be from the ground.
The supplies Balchen loaded on the C-54 include:
Much needed food, fuel, clothing, medical supplies, medicinal whiskey, two stoves and sleeping bags. He has his crew attach parachutes to the packages.
As Balchen gets closer to the PN9E the crew hears the engines of a plane! Packed inside the tail section like a can of sardines, they scramble to exit their "home" and make contact with the plane.
Monteverde and crew must've thought they were dreaming! What a sight! They see packages being dropped by parachute from the C-54! They huddle together, pray and praise God for this miracle.
Monteverde starts to cry. He looks into the faces of his crew and he sees them also crying. Their faces are weather torn, their tears freeze as they roll down their reddened blistered faces.
Three drops in Balchen realizes the parachutes are a bad idea. The wind is too fierce. To his horror, he witnesses one crew member clinging to a package only to let go seconds before dragging him into a never-ending crevasse. Balchen orders the parachutes to be removed and radios PN9E radioman Howarth to tell the crew to get inside the wreckage.
Fearless, headstrong and determined , the Last Viking drops to a deadly altitude of 50ft above the glacier and makes 10 magnificent pinpoint drops to the PN9E, a few even bank off the fuselage. The crew worried that Balchen would crash, but the masterful Balchen has done it once again! The men have recieved replenishment.
They hustle to bring in all the supplies they can. O'Hara and Spina have had to remain inside due to their injuries, which helps the others because their tear filled eyes have now frozen shut. O'Hara and Spina now have to blow their warm breath into their eyes to thaw them. It works.
Balchen radios Howarth again to convey a dogsled team and or motorsled team will be making their way and to be on the lookout for USCG Cutter Northland.
As Balchen returns to base he sketches ( he's also an artist) out the B-17's terrian location and coordinates. Featured below is a watercolor Balchen sketched of the PN9E as he saw it from the air.
Fallen American Veterans Foundation is proud to have Col. Bernt Balchen's son, Lauritz, on its board of directors.

The PN9E crew are worried about their friends on the C-53, where are they? Are they alive? No One has heard from they and they have yet to be spotted.
And the Canadian A-20, where are they?

To be continued..

If you would like to help in the repatriation of our fallen Heros, please consider Fallen American Veterans Foundation. We are dedicated to Advocate Educate and Repatriate. Our Greenland mission includes 8 of our missing in action 🇺🇸

Nov 1942 "Short Snorter"
Still no rescue in sight for the crew of the B-17 PN9E. They've made radio contact, but no rescue plane has spotted them yet.
Time is running out. How much time do they have before they succumb to death?
O'Hara is dangerously close to death, gangrene has set into his frozen legs. Each man continues to pound their arms and legs for blood flow stimulation, excruciating but necessary.
To pass the time the crew plays word games and tells their life stories., and they pray, everyday they pray. Monty has taken the lead as chaplain.
The men are feeling down. To lift their spirits Monty asks the crew, "How many of you are Short Snorters?"
To be a Short Snorter, you must have flown over at least one ocean and have your dollar bill signed by other Short Snorters, at least 3 for it to deemed valid. Short Snorter is slang for a weak drink, a short drink. Fliers needed to keep clarity of mind before a flight so they opted for a short snort. If you were caught without your signed dollar bill by another Short Snorter, you owe them a drink or a dollar bill.
Monty is trying to give the boys something to look foward too and also convey THEY WILL BE RESCUED so don't give up hope.
They take the money out, except for Puryear he can't find his in the wreckage so another crew member spots him the money. They all sign each other's bills.
The Short Snorters showcased below belonged to B-17 flight engineer of the Blue Nose Arctic Flyers, (Kenneth "Pappy" Turners plane) and grandfather of FAVFs Mission Expert, Jeremy Anderson .
They are 81 years old but you can still read some of those familiar ( and yet to be introduced)names.
The story of the Blue Nose Arctic Flyers is coming up as the Greenland Sage continues...

Check out page, we rely on your generous support to bring home our fallen Heroes 🇺🇸❤️

Nov 1942, Day 17 of 148
"Lolly Howarth & Gibson Girl"
The weight on Cpl. Loren "Lolly" Howarth's shoulders is great. The survival of the crew rests in his frozen and bleeding hands.
While able bodied crew members inventoried the B-17, they hit a jackpot. Their emergency radio transmitter, affectionately named "Gibson Girl", is found amongst the wreckage.
But this hand cranked ( internal generator) radio is limited in function. It is only capable of transmitting messages, not receiving.
Lolly and crew are anxious to get Gibson Girl operating, but weather is hindering the ability to fly the kite antenna, the winds are just too strong.
When weather permits, Howarth diligently flies the kite and sends out continuous SOS signals in desperate attempts of reaching someone, anyone !
The Gibson Girl is not a sure fire bet. He needs to rebuild the PN9Es radio which is built for transmitting AND receiving, with the capability of reaching thousands of miles.
At 23 years of age and only 10 months of radio operator training, Lolly must rely on memory to rebuild the main radio, the instruction manual has been lost in the wreckage.
Capt. Monteverde reluctantly informs Lolly that he must work on rebuilding the radio outside, for fear of igniting the fuselage that has been doused in 100 octane fuel. Lolly and crew agree this is a wise decision. And luckily the crew still has a good supply of gas they can utilize.
Wedel has repaired the gas-powered generator. He's been able to charge batteries and found some unbroken bulbs he has strung together and rigged in the tail section, giving the crew much needed light. The winter months of Greenland only see 4 hours a sunlight per day. The light is a huge moral booster.
Lolly continues to work on the damaged radio under the planes left wing, but he needs more wiring, so he uses the Gibson Girls long string of wire, hoping this will render the radio operational.
His hands are frostbitten, his skin is split open and bleeding. He can only work for minutes at a time in -30° F weather.
Capt. Monteverde and crew take turns placing Lolly's hands in their armpits for warmth. Lolly's cries in pain are gut wrenching to the crew.
After many days working on rewiring Lolly announces to the crew that the rewired radio components work !
He flips the switch and much to their immense joy, it lights up!
He's still having trouble getting the receiver to work, but can now send out further SOS signals.
Cpl. Howarth has been successful in transmitting his SOS distress signals, but is unaware due to not being able to receive messages back.
The signals are picked by Greenland's Bluie Bases, but they are weak and not clearly understood. But providence is on their side when the signal is also picked up by a ham radio operator located in Portland, Maine..he receives the messages loud and clear and notifies US military personnel.
Lolly steadfastly continues his work on the receiver, it's bothering him greatly because he's sure he's hooked up everything correctly.
That night there's a fierce blizzard.
At daylight Wedel steps outside their makeshift "home" and right in front of him is the missing radio operator manual ! The nights high wind blizzard has exposed the manual, the crew sees this as divine intervention.
Lolly reads through the manual and discovers he has incorrectly connected two wires. He makes the adjustments and success! The radio is now fully operational.
He sends Bluie West-1 distress calls and receives back a reply.
Howarth is caught in shock and excitement and yells back to the crew, " We Got'em" !!
With only two crackers and two pieces of cheese left per person, they are in dire need of rations and supplies. Bluie West-1 informs them that help is on its way for the B-17 PN9E crew..but what about the C-53 and A-20 crews?

To be continued..

Fallen American Veterans Foundation is dedicated to Advocate Educate and Repatriate. Your tax-deductible donation will help bring home 8 Fallen Heroes of this 1942-43 ordeal. Thank you for your consideration.
Honor The Promise ☆ Leave No One Behind

Nov 1942
Spencer Falls Through Crevasse !

The PN9E crew are still awaiting a desperate rescue.
Capt. Monteverde, "Monty" is working hard, keeping the moral of the crew up and tending to the injured. Cpl. Howarth continues to work on rebuilding the radio with badly frozen hands. O'Hara feet are worsening by the hour due to frostbite and everyone is craving a cigarette, but Monty has forbidden doing so in fear of igniting the fuselage due to the gasoline leakage that has doused the radio compartment and the fumes are making the crew sick to their stomachs.
The crew have been waiting for the weather to clear up enough to venture outside. Finally 12 Nov, the weather is clear enough, so Spencer and O'Hara take advantage of it, much to the regret of Spencer.
Their objective is to get within sight of the coast and open water which will help them determine their position for rescue.
Walking only just feet from the B-17, Spencer was there one minute and gone the next !
He has unknowingly stepped through a weak ice bridge, a snow covered "bridge" that forms from the top of one crevasse to another.
The attached dramatic radio program details the precise moment Spencer falls. And you will hear about Montys Bolo knife, used in this rescue, which is pictured in our 9 Nov post.
Produced by DuPont, written by Paul Peter's and starring Dean Jagger as Monteverde is titled "Nine Men Against The Arctic" in an episode of Cavalcade of America.
At the end you will hear a message from Lt. O'Hara!!

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Cavalcade of America - CALV 430802 342 Nine Men Against the Arctic Cavalcade of AmericaProvided by the Old Time Radio Researchers Group. www.otrr.org

18 Nov 1942
Day 14
The A-20 crew is unaware their distress signal was indeed received, they are continuing with their plan to trek towards the coast in hopes they can signal USCG Cutter Northland who have been transporting troops to nearby bases.
The crew construct primitive snowshoes from plane gear and take along an inflatable dinghy. However, the weather is unrelenting, the snow is too deep to make any progress on foot. They barely travel 1 mile a day.
As they grow substantially weary, the crew spots a plane they estimate to be about 5 miles away. They fire their flare gun hoping the rescue plane catches sight of the desperate signal, but it goes unseen. Moral is dashed. They try lighting one other parkas but their clothes are so wet and frozen stiff, the parka will not light.
Their only hope is to continue , if they can stay alive, to the coast and get the attention of Northland.
BW-1 ( Bluie West-1) sends out a search plane and success! They find the A-20 wreckage, but unfortunately no crew is found, they had already started for the coast. The search plane drops supplies and instructions at the crash sight just incase the crew is nearby.
Meanwhile, still no communication from the C-53 crew. It's not looking good. The wind blown snow makes it nearly impossible to positively identify anything on the ground.
Were the coordinates the C-53 gave correct??

To be continued...

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Continuing dilemma of A-20 Nov 1942
Day 12 Greenland Saga..
With 3 planes down, harsh Arctic weather, extremely limited provisions and a total of 17 missing servicemen, some injured, time is running out fast.
The RAF twin-engine Douglas A-20 BZ-215 is piloted by David Goodlet, Navigator Alfred Nash and radioman Arthur Weaver. Their mission was to deliver the attack bomber to England after refueling in Greenland. This A-20 bomber has two nicknames, known as "HAVOC" to the Americans and "BOSTON" to the British.
Weather has made it impossible for radioman Nash to get out a distress signal and using his sextant is futile to determine their position in the dense fog.
With only 30 minutes fuel time left, pilot Goodlet's only option is to lay the bomber down, wheels up, between two mountain ranges in a crevasse infested plateau.
The A-20 crews only food supplies are 24 "biscuts" and 1 gallon of water, which is of course frozen.
Daylight in the winter of Greenland is limited to 4 hours a day and the temperature is dropping to -30°F.
The crew has hatched a risky plan, head out on foot to the coast in hopes of signaling the USCG Cutter Northland. But for now the crew is thwarted by massive winds and zero visibility, they must continue to hunker down inside the bomber.
Weaver continues his efforts on getting a distress call out, but his fingers are frozen and the battery is power is running out.
No longer able to use his fingers, Weaver is using his fists to punch out SOS messages. The pain is excruciating.
Canadian headquarters are aware their A-20 is overdue, but are not able to communicate with its crew and no one else has any information either.
That is, until Abner Chafe Knee enters the picture.
Knee is on his radio operator shift at Gander when he notices something peculiar. His radio frequency was cut into. This is something that can happen and by itself wasn't alarming, however Knee's intuition told him something different. Instead of passing it off as just an anomaly, Knee adjusted his frequency and tried to pick up the signal, but he wasn't getting anything. His intuition kicked in stronger, don't give up! He tried one last time and success!! The signal was weak and not too clear but he was able to receive the A-20 distress signal and the positioning!
Knee sends out a "RR" ( Received & Read) but has no way of confirming the A-20 crew has received his message. Knee quickly hands off the information to Ganders Royal Air Force Command authorities.
But have the A-20 crew received Knee's "RR" message?
Or do they continue with their extremely risky plan of trekking through freezing icy winds, deadly crevasses and no provisions???
Life is about to get even harder for the A-20 crew.

Follow us on this harrowing journey of survival, loss and heroics as Fallen American Veterans Foundation takes you through the 5+ months of this amazing true story that has yet come to an end.
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13 Nov 1942
Day 8...

It's been four days since Armand "Monty" Monteverde's B-17 PN9E crashed.
Damage to their radio has made communicating an SOS impossible. Gasoline has drenched the radio compartment and the crew fears sparking a fire.
No one has seen or heard from either crew of the C-53 or the B-17, an even more devastating blow to Sgt. Best and Sgt. Puryear since some of their close friends are among the C-53 crew.
This now brings the total to 14 missing men.

With no radio instruments in working order, the fate of the crew rests in radioman Cpl. Loren "Lolly" Howarth's hands, his frostbitten hands.
Having no Arctic supplies, the crew are gathering items from the aircraft. Their immediate needs are shelter and any warmth possible.
They gather window covers, seat cushions, travel bags ( Monty's travel bag pictured), parachutes and blankets.
Spencer tears a piece of aluminum from the plane and hands it to Monty for use in making a splint for Spina's fractured arm. Monty uses his childhood skills as a Boy Scout to set Spina's arm and it works!
They are desperately thirsty, but have nothing to drink. One crew member brought hot coffee in his thermos, but it's frozen solid. They have no heaters, no stoves and are fearful of igniting a fire besides that. The crews only choice is to eat snow, a risky choice but the only one they have. Spina has frostbitten hands and a broken arm, he can't take care of himself.
Now they have another hurdle..keep Paul Spina alive...

To be continued

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12 Nov 1942 the Saga continues...
We are now 7 days into the search for the downed C-53 Skytrooper and the USCG Cutter Northland continues to patrol the coast in search for the downed A-20.
Lt. Max Demorest has picked up Donald Tetley and goes over his plan, trek 17 arduous miles to Ice Cap Station using motorsleds that are a combination of motorcycle with rubber snow tread and a toboggan.
Flare signals, earlier seen coming from the C-53, and a radio message saying "They can see water", give Demorest an educated estimate of the planes location being 5-10 miles North of Ice Cap Station. He has also estimated it will take 3-4 days for a successful rescue, weather permitting.
We are now at the 4 day mark.
The weather has not been cooperating.
Demorest and Tetley are being inundated by Greenland's Arctic storms and their motorsleds continue to suffer mechanical failures.
The combination of these two obstacles forces them to return to Beach Head Station to swap out the broken motorsleds for new ones.
The weather continues to get worse and forces Demorest and Tetley to hunker down for several days before they can, once again, set out on their trek to the C-53.
The C-53s radio communication signals are now getting weaker. They lose all power and their only communication source is a small transmitter and receiver, with no ability to recharge.
The crew is unable to send out a continuous MO ( magnetic orientation), which under normal circumstances would give a pinpoint location of their plane.
The situation is becoming more grim.
The C-53 Skytrooper is used for transporting mail and packages, but on this run, the plane is empty.
No packages they could utilize in their emergency situation. No lanterns, no warm clothing, no stoves for boiling snow and only 2 days of food rations.
Temps are estimated to be at a high of 15° F and a low of -10°F.
They had been sending out radio signals every 30 minutes..
But now, it's radio silence....

To be continued

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