Family welcomes home Livermore World War II vet who died 81 years ago: 'This is where you belong'
In March 1944, Lt. Thomas Kelly, who grew up in Livermore, was deployed to Papua New Guinea. His plane was shot down days later
LIVERMORE, Calif. (KGO) -- He served in WWII. And on Friday, 81 years later, he finally returned home.
"When there is an MIA, Missing In Action, there is no body coming home to bury. It caused our family to believe he was dead. But then there was bit that said, 'maybe he is still alive.' You know? And so, we didn't have the closure. But now we have the closure. So now he is home," say Sandy Althaus.
In March, 1944, U.S. Army Air Force Lieutenant Thomas Kelly, who grew up in Livermore, was deployed to Papua New Guinea. On the morning of March 11, his plane was shot down.
Sandy Althaus, Lt. Kelly's first cousin, was 3-and-a-half years old, when he died. She says she remembers him well. She adds, growing up, it was too painful for the family to talk about Lt. Kelly, who they affectionately called Tobie.
"I have felt close to him all my life. I remember he wrote many, many letters. And our family kept them all. I went through those letters, and he mentioned me every time. And I was just so touched!" says Sandy.
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Then came a call from Sandy's son, Scott Althaus, in 2013.
"Memorial Day 2013, called me and said, 'Mom, I want to know the name of your cousin, who died, because I want to honor him today,'" says Sandy.
"On Memorial Day, 2013, I started a few hours of internet research that very quickly found information about the final mission. And that started what would become a 12-year journey," says Scott.
Scott is professor at the University of Illinois and researches wartime communications. He'd been working on military casualty data from WWII, which peaked his interest about his own family.
Using the information they found, he reached out to Project Recover, which helps research and return missing U.S. military personal.
"We were fortunate that, in spite of the catastrophic nature of the crash, that enough of it was held together, to do the recovery," explains Patrick Scannon, the Co-Founder of Project Recover.
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With the help of the U.S. Navy, Project Recover used advanced robotics to search Hansa Bay, where they found Kelly's plane 215 feet underwater. Along with part of his skull and right leg. DNA testing confirmed it was Lt. Kelly.
"A memory for all of us, his sacrifice in the service of our country. He sacrificed so we could be free. That was his job. And he said, 'If I can help my country, it's worth it all,'" says Sandy.
She says, if he was here today, she would tell him: "I love you Tobie. So great to see you again. Have you here. To welcome you home. This is where you belong."
On Sunday, Lt. Kelly will lie in repose at Saint Michael's Catholic Church in Livermore.
On Monday, a motorcade will drive Lt. Kelly through Livermore, past his old house and high school, to be buried at Saint Michael's cemetery.
