Air Force Lieutenant missing for nearly 80 years laid to rest at Jacksonville National Cemetery

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Almost 80 years after a U.S. Air Force Lieutenant was reported missing in action, the remains of the World War II airman were identified and laid to rest Thursday.

Action News Jax’s Shanila Kabir was at the Jacksonville National Cemetery and heard from his family during the funeral services.

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“He lived on through our grandfather in the stories he told us. The story never was forgotten in the family. We constantly heard what happened, it’s been a mystery to the family,” great nephew Wayne Driggers said.

Lieutenant Alfred Hamwey was reported missing in January 1945 after friendly forces lost contact with him during an enemy attack in present-day Papua New Guinea. He was 24 at the time of the attack.

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His remains were accounted for in May.

“He was flying last on the formation and disappeared essentially to everyone that was there. Him crashing into a swamp, which buried the plane, essentially hiding it for all these years,” Driggers said.

After the war, officials said the American Graves Registration Service was unable to find Hamwey and his two crew members. In December 2011, family members said an Australian defense officer reported a crash site in a swamp.

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“The original finding was actually from villagers in a nearby neighborhood in Guam that found the .50 caliber weapons and pulled them off the plane and were carrying them through the village,” Driggers said.

Driggers said the villagers then got the attention of that Australian officer.

Family members of Hamwey live in Northeast Florida now. They believe the discovery of his remains after all these years will give hope to others whose loved ones and relatives may remain missing in action.

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