Van Camp, William E

William E. Van Camp, son of William W. and Flossie Van Camp, was eventually declared killed in action January 25, 1946, after being missing for a considerable time while serving with the United States Army Air Corps, 319th Bomber Squadron, 90th Bomber Group Heavy. He was in the Southwest Pacific Theater during World War II. The plane wreckage was discovered early 1989 in Tauta Mandang Province and by 1990 the entire crew had been identified and returned to their families. It appears the body of William W. Van Camp was sent to South Bend, Indiana. Another Indiana crew member was also identified, Gilbert F. Smith of Princeton, Indiana.

We wish to locate the family of both William Van Camp and Gilbert Smith. Although their remains have been discovered, their names remain honored on the "Tablets of the Missing" at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines. We wanted to send the photographs to the families free of charge.

We have found the following reference at the Indiana State Library website; World War II database. We do not have the information because we do not have access to the microfilms here in the Philippines but we are hoping for some help from our posting. Our goal is to find the families of Indiana servicemen and present them with free photographs of their loved one’s grave sites or their names as they appear on the “Tablets”. This information will increase our chances of finding the families. Please help us!

References:
Indianapolis Star
William E. Van Camp
April 23, 1944
Missing in Action
Page 3, Column 4

Indianapolis Star
Gilbert F. Smith
June 4, 1944
Missing in Action
Part 1, Page 4, Column 3

Hello, I am a retired American veteran residing in the Philippines with my Filipino wife. A year ago we visited the memorial as visitors but came home with a mission in our hearts. As we gazed over the beautifully manicured acres and the 17,202 American graves, it was obvious only a few families had ever visited their graves.

I stepped into the soft grass and focused my camera on one of the white crosses, a grave of an Ohio soldier. A strange calmness was in the air as I walked a few more steps and a cross of an Indiana soldier lay square in my path. The letters of the inscription on the marker was bolder than ever, here lay a soldier from my home state.

At that moment a quiet brainstorm aroused my humble thoughts. I wondered if I could locate any of the families of these men. My stride became more defined and within a few moments I had located and photographed eight more graves.

Since those gut-wrenching but touching moments we have energized our efforts in finding the families of these American men from Indiana. We have located well over 100 and have delivered the FREE photographs to them via email.

Please visit our website and see the men we have honored and the families we have assisted in finding a more genuine closure of a horrible tragedy.

http://fizkid.tripod.com/


Our success in finding the families was the result of journalists, amateur genealogists, historians, historical societies, librarians and lots of wonderful Hoosiers and those with Indiana ties across America.

During our search we have also reached families from other states as well and have filled special requests for photos from the Manila American Cemetery. We presently have photographed only the graves of the Indiana soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen; however we have photographed all of the names that are engraved on the "Tablets of the Missing". We offer them free of charge to anyone who asks.

We ask for your help in finding their families. We understand this is a genealogy board but we do not need immediate genealogy in that form, we need leads to find the families. Please become one of our special volunteers today and find the family of an Indiana serviceman from near your home. A list of the men from your Indiana county is available, free and all you must do is request it.

William E. Van Camp
Sergeant
United States Army Air Corps
319th Bomber Squadron, 90th Bomber Group Heavy
Service Number 15374878
South Bend – St. Joseph County – Indiana
DOD – January 25, 1946
He is missing or buried at sea
His name is honored on the “Tablets of the Missing” at
Manila American Cemetery - Philippines
Air Medal, Purple Heart
Remains recovered at crash site near Papua New Guinea

Based on a comparison of 1930 census data and NARA's WWII enlistment records, he appears to be the son, b. 1921, of William W. and Flossie Van Camp of Union, Wells Co., IN.

The serial number is for William E. Van Camp, a resident of Logan Co., KY, at the time of his enlistment. However, there are no Van Camp's enumerated in Logan Co., KY, in 1930, and no William Van Camp with the birth year of 1924 in any state.


February 20, 2006
No. 600-01
IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 26, 2001

REMAINS OF WORLD WAR II BOMBER CREW IDENTIFIED AND RETURNED

The remains of a ten-man U.S. Army Air Corps bomber crew, missing in action from World War II, have been recovered, identified and returned to their families in the United States.

The crew members of the B-24D Liberator are identified as: 2nd Lieutenants Raymond J. Drewelow, Waterloo, Iowa; Edward M. Sparks, Alton, Kan.; James H. Nelson, Tallulah, La.; George R. Ellison, Danville, Va.

Also, Staff Sergeants Joel G. Williams, Meadows of Dan, Va.; Salvatore J. Elhai, Brooklyn, N.Y.; William E. Van Camp, South Bend, Ind.; Arthur J. Swartz Jr., Aurora, Ill.; Sergeants Gilbert F. Smith, Princeton, Ind.; and Anthony G. Scaccia, New Orleans, La.

On March 5, 1944, Drewelow was piloting the B-24 on a bombing mission against Japanese targets over the Hansa Bay area of Papua New Guinea. The aircraft and crew disappeared on that mission in heavy thunderstorms.

No radio transmissions were ever received from the crew, and subsequent searches did not locate them. After the war, U.S. Army graves registration teams conducted wide searches in New Guinea without success.

In early 1989, the former curator of the Air War Museum in Port Moresby, New Guinea, notified the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii (CILHI), that wreckage of a B-24 had been located in Tauta, Mandang Province.

Between July 1989 and August 1990, three CILHI teams located, investigated and excavated the site, recovering remains and artifacts associated with the crash. The remains were transported to CILHI where the forensic process included the use of mitochondrial DNA to confirm the identification of each of the crewmembers.

Of the more than 88,000 American service members still missing in action from all conflicts, 78,000 are from World War II.



Dave and Apple Dwiggins
San Pablo City, Philippines

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