From the McCallie Alumni Journal, Chatttanooga, TN
Dec. 1945
1st LT. JAMES D. GILBERT '38 Knoxville, TN
First Lt. James D. Gilbert was killed June 22, 1945 on Guam, in an airplane crash, according to word received here from the lieutentant's cousin, Cpl. Joe K. Dance. James was 24. Lt. Gilbert was a pilot of a B-29. According to Cpl. Dance's letter to his parents, the big bomber, piloted by Lt. Gilbert, took off from the island in a heavy rain. A motor went bad shortly after the take-off. The plane came back, but the rain was so heavy the crew was unable to see the field. They came in close to the ground, saw they weren't on the runway, tried to rise and could not gain altitude. They ran off over a 300-foot cliff. All the crew were killed except the tail gunner, he said. Lt. Gilbert had been in service more than three years, and overseas since March. He is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bert R. Gilbert, one brother and one sister.
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A more detailed account of the crash is available at the following link. It also indicates that James' remains were not recovered until October of 1997.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ny330bg/missionsjune.htm
From the McCallie Alumni Journal, Chatttanooga, TN
Dec. 1945
1st LT. JAMES D. GILBERT '38 Knoxville, TN
First Lt. James D. Gilbert was killed June 22, 1945 on Guam, in an airplane crash, according to word received here from the lieutentant's cousin, Cpl. Joe K. Dance. James was 24. Lt. Gilbert was a pilot of a B-29. According to Cpl. Dance's letter to his parents, the big bomber, piloted by Lt. Gilbert, took off from the island in a heavy rain. A motor went bad shortly after the take-off. The plane came back, but the rain was so heavy the crew was unable to see the field. They came in close to the ground, saw they weren't on the runway, tried to rise and could not gain altitude. They ran off over a 300-foot cliff. All the crew were killed except the tail gunner, he said. Lt. Gilbert had been in service more than three years, and overseas since March. He is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bert R. Gilbert, one brother and one sister.
********
A more detailed account of the crash is available at the following link. It also indicates that James' remains were not recovered until October of 1997.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ny330bg/missionsjune.htm
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"He sleeps on the island of Guam"
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