Chicago Air Force captain killed in 1952 plane crash finally laid to rest
CHICAGO (CBS) – More than 70 years after being killed in a Douglas C-124 Globemaster II military transport aircraft crash, a Chicago service member finally received the sendoff he deserved.
A decades-long recovery effort and modern technology helped give his family the much-needed closure they prayed for. CBS 2's Andrew Ramos had the story from Calumet City.
"To just be able to bring him home, you know, it's just a good feeling," said Rich Zielimski.
It was a homecoming more than 70 years in the making.
Delbert Draskey was an Air Force captain when, in November of 1952, the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II military transport aircraft he was traveling in crashed into the side of Mount Gannett in Alaska.
The Chicago man was one of 52 servicemembers and crew who were killed.
His family, who still live in the Chicago area, never quite made peace with the loss.
"His mother never really accepted the fact that he wasn't with us anymore," said Zielimski, Draskey's cousin.
Weather conditions hindered the initial recovery efforts, and as the years passed, hope for bringing Draskey's remains home dwindled.
That was until 2012, when the family received a call from the U.S. Air Force notifying them that an Alaska National Guard Black Hawk crew conducting a training mission found the wreckage of the plane.
"At first, it was kind of like disbelief," said Bob Smukula, a relative of Draskey. "Is this a prank call?"
For the next decade, recovery crews would periodically return to the crash site on a mission to bring those service members lost back home.
Using his fingerprints, which were preserved in the frigid Alaska weather, Draskey was positively identified last June.
"It was in good enough conditions after 70 years in the snow and ice, they were able to make an identification of him," Zielimski said.
Crews also recovered Draskey's military ID and wallet, which were returned to his family.
His body arrived in Chicago this week. A military funeral with full honors at Holy Cross Cemetery in Calumet City gave his family the much-needed closure they longed for.
"He made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," said Smukla, through tears.
Even with this closure, the family said it will continue to tell Draskey's story to their children and their children's children, in hopes of keeping his memory alive for future generations.
The effort to being home the bodies of those lost in the 1952 cargo plane crash in Alaska is ongoing. So far, the effort has led to the identification of 40 of the 52 service members lost.
