HERSHEY, NE (KNOP/CNN) – A family in Nebraska is getting closure on a relative they lost in World War II.
He died in a plane crash in the Pacific, but it was unclear where exactly the aircraft and his remains were – until recently.
Pictures are the only memories Jake McFadden has of his Uncle Joe.
His uncle's B-24 went down in the Pacific during the war, with all crewmen listed as having been killed in action.
It's been 74 years of unanswered questions.
"They never did receive any remains or anything," McFadden said.
But McFadden received some news in April – an email about his uncle's lost plane.
"At first I thought, 'What kind of hoax could it be?'" McFadden said.
But it wasn't a hoax. The nonprofit organization "Project Recover" had found his uncle's plane in New Guinea, and had begun contacting relatives of those aboard.
"From there it's just been a remarkable thing to research and find more stuff out and everything," McFadden said.
Project Recover plans to release a video of the plane in the coming days.
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