Unveiling the Past: The Identification of a WWII B-24J Liberator Pilot 80 Years After Disaster

The B-24J Liberator bomber that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. John E. McLauchlen Jr. was piloting on Dec. 1, 1943, has been identified after its remains were discovered in Burma eight decades after the plane was shot down during a bombing mission. McLauchlen, then 25 years old and from Detroit, disappeared below the clouds when his plane caught fire and entered a steep dive following anti-aircraft fire from Indian troops stationed at Panagarh, India.

The crew members of the bomber were declared missing in action during World War II, and their remains were not recovered until 1947 when they were found near Yodayadet, Burma by American Grave Registration Service (AGRS). Despite being unable to identify them at the time, they were interred as unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

On October 20, 2020, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) exhumed the remains with a request from McLauchlen’s family and conducted analysis to identify them using anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA analysis. After thorough examination, McLauchlen’s remains were finally identified on January 25th, 2024 which brings an end to an uncertain period for his loved ones.

As a result of this identification process, McLauchlen will be laid to rest at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery in Kansas on July 8th, 2024 with graveside services performed by Belden-Larkin Funeral Home following interment ceremony honoring his sacrifice made during World War II along with his crew members who also perished during this tragic incident.