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Captain George Willard Grismore 07/17/1914 ~ 3/12/1945 Captain George Willard Grismore was born July 17, 1914, and died March 12, 1945, sacrificing his life in defense of his country during World War II while serving in the Army Air Corps on the island of Leyte, Philippine Islands.
Captain Grismore was in command of a fleet of C-47 transport planes flying supplies from Leyte to the island of Mindanao and crashed in a remote jungle on Leyte while transporting a load of gasoline. There were six crew members aboard the plane, all of whom perished in the crash.
In 1989, forty-four years later, remains from the crash were found and sent to an Army Air Force Base in Manila and from there were eventually sent to Hawaii where, through DNA testing, a positive identification was made of four of the six crew members, Captain Grismore being one of them.
Thanks to the efforts of the Utah Air National Guard, the remains of Captain George Willard Grismore will arrive home in Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 10, 2010, where a memorial service in remembrance of his life and sacrifice will be held at Larkin Mortuary, 260 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 13, 2010, at 2:00 p.m.
All who knew him, or are related to him, are invited to attend, as are others who have a desire to honor those who gave their lives in defense of freedom and liberty.
Captain Grismore grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, and attended school here where he graduated from South High School. He then attended the University of Utah where he majored in Military Science and upon graduation received a commission in the United States Army. He was serving his country in the Hawaiian Islands when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. He was later sent by the Army Air Corps to the Philippines. Captain Grismore is survived by his son George Willard Grismore, Jr. (Robin), who never knew his father. He was only one year old at the time of his father's death in the Philippines. He is also survived by one granddaughter Kyle Lynn Grismore and by his younger brother John Frantzen Grismore, who was 12 years old when Willard died. George Washington Grismore, his father, Ruth Frantzen Grismore, his mother, Richard Glen Grismore (Shirley), his brother, and Dorothy L. Grismore Rolly (John), his sister, and his wife Val B. Grismore have since passed away. John, his youngest brother, is the only member of his family who is still alive and who remembers him. He is also survived by numerous nephews and nieces. Sixty-five years after his death is a long time to wait for his remains to have been found, identified, and returned home.
We are grateful for the efforts of the United States Military and the Veterans of Foreign Wars who never cease to honor their fallen comrades. Thanks are also in order to the employees at Larkin Mortuary for helping arrange this memorial service.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Forces Capt. George W. Grismore, 30, of Salt Lake City, will be buried at sea Nov. 17 off the coast of Newport Beach, Calif. A memorial service in Salt Lake City will precede the burial on Nov. 13. On March 12, 1945, Grismore and five crew members aboard a C-47A Skytrain departed Tanauan Airfield on Leyte, Philippines, on a resupply mission to guerilla troops. Once cleared for takeoff, there was no further communication between the aircrew and airfield operators. When the aircraft failed to return, a thorough search of an area ten miles on either side of the intended route was initiated. No evidence of the aircraft was found and the six men were presumed killed in action. Their remains were determined to be non-recoverable in 1949.
In 1989, a Philippine National Police officer contacted U.S. officials regarding a possible World War II-era aircraft crash near Leyte. Human remains, aircraft parts and artifacts were turned over to the local police, then to U.S. officials at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command.
From 1989 to 2009, JPAC sought permission to send teams to the crash site but unrest in the Burauen region precluded on-scene investigations or recovery operations. Meanwhile, JPAC scientists continued the forensic process, analyzing the remains and physical evidence already in hand.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA - which matched that of Grismore's nephew - in the identification of his remains.
At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 72,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, call 703-699-1420 or visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo .
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