The George 1 Repatriation Project (www.george1recovery.org) and the surviving family members of these men are committed to the recovery and repatriation of the remains of three young servicemen to their surviving families and their country. These men died in the service of their country on a classified mission when their U.S. Navy seaplane codenamed George 1 exploded and crashed in Antarctica on December 30, 1946:
- Ensign Maxwell "Val" A. Lopez, Naval Aviator, 20
Newport, Rhode Island - Chief Wendell "Bud" Hendersin, Aviation Radiomate 1st Class, 25
Sparta, Wisconsin - Chief Fred Williams, Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class, 26
Huntingdon, Tennessee
In his May 25th 2009 Memorial Day speech President Barack Obama declared,
"..."the support of our veterans is a sacred trust...we need to serve them as they have served us...that means bringing home all our POWs and MIAs..."Under the Fullest Possible Accounting mandate the United States of America has both a legal and moral obligation to bring these men home.
Help the surviving families bring Max, Bud, Fred and all our POW/MIAs home.
The US Navy
George 1 aircrew, Ensign Max Lopez, Naval Aviator, Chief "Bud" Hendersin, Aviation Radio Mate 1st Class and Chief Fred Williams, Aviation Machinists Mate 1st Class perished in the crash of their Navy seaplane codenamed
George 1 on a remote Antarctic island on December 30th 1946. Six survivors of the crash returned to their ship 13 days later after burying their fallen ship mates in a well marked and protected grave.
These brave and gallant US Navy servicemen died in the service of thier country are long overdue in their repatriation to US soil and their return to their surviving yearning families. The logistics, safety and technology now exist to bring these men home from their remote Antarctic crash site.
Under the Fullest Possible Accounting mandate the United States of America has both a legal and moral obligation to bring these men home. In your May 25th 2009 Memorial Day speech you declared,
"..."the support of our veterans is a sacred trust...we need to serve them as they have served us...that means bringing home all our POWs and MIAs...".
We respectfully urge you to assign the Secretary of Defense with the task of returning these men home now so that these men may finally be reunited with their sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins; to be placed alongside the parents who longed so deeply to have them home.
