A B-17E Flying Fortress bomber that crashed in a New Guinea swamp on Feb. 23, 1942, has been returned to the United States for restoration, possibly to flying condition, after years of salvage efforts. The Boeing-built bomber, which became known as Swamp Ghost after its discovery in 1972, was displayed Friday at the port of Long Beach, Calif., during a ceremony attended by relatives of the now-deceased aircrew. The aircraft is considered one of only four B-17Es ever recovered, according to Alfred Hagan, a leader of the salvage team. The B-17E made a belly landing on the north coast of Papua New Guinea after a bombing mission from Australia against Japanese forces on Rabaul in New Britain. The nine-member crew survived the ordeal and made it back to safety. (See Long Beach Press-Telegram report and NPR report). (See also Hagan’s Aero Archeology Web site.)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.