Son of Harold C. & Minnie Klein Turnbull
Husband of Doris Latimer Turnbull
(Grandson of Louisa Turnbull Klein Betts)
His children, Bob, Joan & Jean are all buried at Pine Park Cemetery. Links have been requested.
....
Captain Robert William Turnbull, Sr., USAF
April 24, 1917 – November 22, 1952
Funeral services for Captain Robert William Turnbull, Sr., USAF, age 35, of Thomasville, GA, are at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, July 19, 2014, graveside in Barnetts Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Thomas County, GA, with full military honors. Chaplain Matthew Dussia, USAF will officiate. Active pallbearers will be the Tyndall Air Force Base Honor Guard. Honorary pallbearers will be the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
On Nov. 22, 1952, Captain Turnbull was onboard a C-124 Globemaster aircraft that crashed while en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from McChord Air Force Base, Washington. There were 11 crewmen and 41 passengers on board. Search parties were unable to locate and recover any of the service members because of adverse weather conditions at the time of the crash. Then on June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crew spotted aircraft wreckage while conducting a training mission in Alaska. Sixty-one years have passed since the airplane crash; and Captain Turnbull, along with sixteen other service members, has been recovered and returned to his family.
Captain Turnbull was born on April 24, 1917, in Canton, OH, to the late Harold and Helen Klein Turnbull. He received a Bachelor's Degree from Georgia Tech in 1940. He began serving his country in the Army in 1943. He was relieved of active duty in 1946 at the rank of Captain, Army Air Corps Reserve. He was then recalled to active duty in the United States Air Force in 1951.
He married the late Doris Latimer on May 11, 1940. Surviving letters and postcards reveal the love and devotion he had for his wife and children. The letters, postcards and photographs further reveal that he was a man of many hobbies including golfing, fishing and enjoying the craftsmanship of cars, especially ones built by the Nash Motors Company.
Survivors include: grandchildren, Sharon Sellers of Ochlocknee, GA, Nina Willis (Greg) of Cairo, GA, and William Jarrett Turnbull (Jennifer) of Boston, GA; great-grandchildren, Jonathan Lee Sellers, of Ochlocknee, GA, Joseph Baxley of Ochlocknee, GA, Chris Sellers of Cairo, GA, and Paul Sellers, III of Ochlocknee, GA, Taylor Ansley of Cairo, GA, Maelee Sellers of Cairo, GA, Jane Waver Willis of Cairo, GA, Gretchen Turnbull, Malorie Turnbull, and Avery Turnbull; daughter-in-law, Patsy Turnbull; son-in-law, Wayne Bonner; brother, David Turnbull (Joan); and a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
Deceased family members are his wife; parents; son, Robert Turnbull, Jr.; twin daughters, Jean Bonner and Joan Sellers; son-in-law, Paul Sellers; grandson, Paul Sellers, Jr.; sister, Jean Turnbull Carper.
Clark Funeral Home
.......................
U.S. Air Force Capt. Robert W. Turnbull of Thomasville was aboard a C-124 Globemaster that crashed in Alaska on Nov. 22, 1952.
From WCTV.TV
Source:
Thomasville Times Enterprise
Thomasville, Georgia
Issue of July 9, 2014
.
The remains of a local airman who died in a military plane crash more than 60 years ago will soon be brought back to Tallahassee to be buried next to his wife.
Captain Bob Turnbull was one of 52 people killed when their C-124 crashed into a glacier in Alaska and became buried in snow. That was 1952.
Fast forward 60 years. Some of that ice and snow has shifted and melted and national guardsmen on a training mission spotted the wreckage.
Turnbull's family in South Georgia was recently notified that his remains had been positively identified through DNA and will be flown home next week.
"One of the things with these families is for 60 years now they have been sitting... thinking ...what happened. They know that they have died in a plane crash in Alaska - but that's it. This will give them closure," Douglas Beckstead said. Beckstead is a historian with the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Turnbull left behind a wife and three small children. His grandchildren will soon receive his remains and make sure he is buried in next to his wife in a tiny cemetery in Thomas County.
We'll be talking with his family tomorrow and will share his homecoming with you next week.
........
Thomasville Times Enterprise
July 9, 2014
Staff report CNHI
ANSWERS FOUND
On June 18, The Department of Defense announced 17 service members, including Capt. Robert W. Turnbull of Thomasville, were recovered from a C-124 Globemaster aircraft that was lost on Nov. 22, 1952.
In addition to Turnbull, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Lawrence S. Singleton, Pvt. James Green Jr., and Pvt. Leonard A. Kittle; U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Earl J. Stearns; U.S. Navy Cmdr. Albert J. Seeboth; U.S. Air Force Col. Noel E. Hoblit, Col. Eugene Smith, 1st Lt. Donald Sheda, 1st Lt. William L. Turner, Tech. Sgt. Engolf W. Hagen, Staff Sgt. James H. Ray, Airman 1st Class Marion E. Hooton, Airman 2nd Class Carroll R. Dyer, Airman 2nd Class Thomas S. Lyons, Airman 2nd Class Thomas C. Thigpen, and Airman 3rd Class Howard E. Martin were recovered and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
On Nov. 22, 1952, a C-124 Globemaster aircraft crashed while en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from McChord Air Force Base, Wash.. There were 11 crewmen and 41 passengers on board. Adverse weather conditions precluded immediate recovery attempts. In late November and early December 1952, search parties were unable to locate and recover any of the service members.
On June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard (AKNG) UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crew spotted aircraft wreckage and debris while conducting a training mission over the Colony Glacier, immediately west of Mount Gannett. Three days later, another AKNG team landed at the site to photograph the area and it found artifacts at the site that related to the wreckage of the C-124 Globemaster. Later that month, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and Joint Task Force team conducted a recovery operation at the site and recommended it continued to be monitored for possible future recovery operations.
In 2013, additional artifacts were visible and JPAC conducted further recovery operations. DoD scientists from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used forensic tools and circumstantial evidence in the identification of 17 service members. The remaining personnel have yet to be recovered and the crash site will continued to be monitored for future possible recovery. Turnbull's remains will be flown from the JPAC headquarters in Hawaii to Tallahassee, Fla., on July 17.
A tribute service for him is set for July 18 and a grave side service with full military honors is July 19 at 11 a.m. Turnbull has had a grave marker at Barnetts Creek Baptist Church since 1956.
.
Husband of Doris Latimer Turnbull
(Grandson of Louisa Turnbull Klein Betts)
His children, Bob, Joan & Jean are all buried at Pine Park Cemetery. Links have been requested.
....
Captain Robert William Turnbull, Sr., USAF
April 24, 1917 – November 22, 1952
Funeral services for Captain Robert William Turnbull, Sr., USAF, age 35, of Thomasville, GA, are at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, July 19, 2014, graveside in Barnetts Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Thomas County, GA, with full military honors. Chaplain Matthew Dussia, USAF will officiate. Active pallbearers will be the Tyndall Air Force Base Honor Guard. Honorary pallbearers will be the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
On Nov. 22, 1952, Captain Turnbull was onboard a C-124 Globemaster aircraft that crashed while en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from McChord Air Force Base, Washington. There were 11 crewmen and 41 passengers on board. Search parties were unable to locate and recover any of the service members because of adverse weather conditions at the time of the crash. Then on June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crew spotted aircraft wreckage while conducting a training mission in Alaska. Sixty-one years have passed since the airplane crash; and Captain Turnbull, along with sixteen other service members, has been recovered and returned to his family.
Captain Turnbull was born on April 24, 1917, in Canton, OH, to the late Harold and Helen Klein Turnbull. He received a Bachelor's Degree from Georgia Tech in 1940. He began serving his country in the Army in 1943. He was relieved of active duty in 1946 at the rank of Captain, Army Air Corps Reserve. He was then recalled to active duty in the United States Air Force in 1951.
He married the late Doris Latimer on May 11, 1940. Surviving letters and postcards reveal the love and devotion he had for his wife and children. The letters, postcards and photographs further reveal that he was a man of many hobbies including golfing, fishing and enjoying the craftsmanship of cars, especially ones built by the Nash Motors Company.
Survivors include: grandchildren, Sharon Sellers of Ochlocknee, GA, Nina Willis (Greg) of Cairo, GA, and William Jarrett Turnbull (Jennifer) of Boston, GA; great-grandchildren, Jonathan Lee Sellers, of Ochlocknee, GA, Joseph Baxley of Ochlocknee, GA, Chris Sellers of Cairo, GA, and Paul Sellers, III of Ochlocknee, GA, Taylor Ansley of Cairo, GA, Maelee Sellers of Cairo, GA, Jane Waver Willis of Cairo, GA, Gretchen Turnbull, Malorie Turnbull, and Avery Turnbull; daughter-in-law, Patsy Turnbull; son-in-law, Wayne Bonner; brother, David Turnbull (Joan); and a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
Deceased family members are his wife; parents; son, Robert Turnbull, Jr.; twin daughters, Jean Bonner and Joan Sellers; son-in-law, Paul Sellers; grandson, Paul Sellers, Jr.; sister, Jean Turnbull Carper.
Clark Funeral Home
.......................
U.S. Air Force Capt. Robert W. Turnbull of Thomasville was aboard a C-124 Globemaster that crashed in Alaska on Nov. 22, 1952.
From WCTV.TV
Source:
Thomasville Times Enterprise
Thomasville, Georgia
Issue of July 9, 2014
.
The remains of a local airman who died in a military plane crash more than 60 years ago will soon be brought back to Tallahassee to be buried next to his wife.
Captain Bob Turnbull was one of 52 people killed when their C-124 crashed into a glacier in Alaska and became buried in snow. That was 1952.
Fast forward 60 years. Some of that ice and snow has shifted and melted and national guardsmen on a training mission spotted the wreckage.
Turnbull's family in South Georgia was recently notified that his remains had been positively identified through DNA and will be flown home next week.
"One of the things with these families is for 60 years now they have been sitting... thinking ...what happened. They know that they have died in a plane crash in Alaska - but that's it. This will give them closure," Douglas Beckstead said. Beckstead is a historian with the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Turnbull left behind a wife and three small children. His grandchildren will soon receive his remains and make sure he is buried in next to his wife in a tiny cemetery in Thomas County.
We'll be talking with his family tomorrow and will share his homecoming with you next week.
........
Thomasville Times Enterprise
July 9, 2014
Staff report CNHI
ANSWERS FOUND
On June 18, The Department of Defense announced 17 service members, including Capt. Robert W. Turnbull of Thomasville, were recovered from a C-124 Globemaster aircraft that was lost on Nov. 22, 1952.
In addition to Turnbull, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Lawrence S. Singleton, Pvt. James Green Jr., and Pvt. Leonard A. Kittle; U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Earl J. Stearns; U.S. Navy Cmdr. Albert J. Seeboth; U.S. Air Force Col. Noel E. Hoblit, Col. Eugene Smith, 1st Lt. Donald Sheda, 1st Lt. William L. Turner, Tech. Sgt. Engolf W. Hagen, Staff Sgt. James H. Ray, Airman 1st Class Marion E. Hooton, Airman 2nd Class Carroll R. Dyer, Airman 2nd Class Thomas S. Lyons, Airman 2nd Class Thomas C. Thigpen, and Airman 3rd Class Howard E. Martin were recovered and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
On Nov. 22, 1952, a C-124 Globemaster aircraft crashed while en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from McChord Air Force Base, Wash.. There were 11 crewmen and 41 passengers on board. Adverse weather conditions precluded immediate recovery attempts. In late November and early December 1952, search parties were unable to locate and recover any of the service members.
On June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard (AKNG) UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crew spotted aircraft wreckage and debris while conducting a training mission over the Colony Glacier, immediately west of Mount Gannett. Three days later, another AKNG team landed at the site to photograph the area and it found artifacts at the site that related to the wreckage of the C-124 Globemaster. Later that month, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and Joint Task Force team conducted a recovery operation at the site and recommended it continued to be monitored for possible future recovery operations.
In 2013, additional artifacts were visible and JPAC conducted further recovery operations. DoD scientists from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used forensic tools and circumstantial evidence in the identification of 17 service members. The remaining personnel have yet to be recovered and the crash site will continued to be monitored for future possible recovery. Turnbull's remains will be flown from the JPAC headquarters in Hawaii to Tallahassee, Fla., on July 17.
A tribute service for him is set for July 18 and a grave side service with full military honors is July 19 at 11 a.m. Turnbull has had a grave marker at Barnetts Creek Baptist Church since 1956.
.
Son of Harold C. & Minnie Klein Turnbull
Husband of Doris Latimer Turnbull
(Grandson of Louisa Turnbull Klein Betts)
His children, Bob, Joan & Jean are all buried at Pine Park Cemetery. Links have been requested.
....
Captain Robert William Turnbull, Sr., USAF
April 24, 1917 – November 22, 1952
Funeral services for Captain Robert William Turnbull, Sr., USAF, age 35, of Thomasville, GA, are at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, July 19, 2014, graveside in Barnetts Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Thomas County, GA, with full military honors. Chaplain Matthew Dussia, USAF will officiate. Active pallbearers will be the Tyndall Air Force Base Honor Guard. Honorary pallbearers will be the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
On Nov. 22, 1952, Captain Turnbull was onboard a C-124 Globemaster aircraft that crashed while en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from McChord Air Force Base, Washington. There were 11 crewmen and 41 passengers on board. Search parties were unable to locate and recover any of the service members because of adverse weather conditions at the time of the crash. Then on June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crew spotted aircraft wreckage while conducting a training mission in Alaska. Sixty-one years have passed since the airplane crash; and Captain Turnbull, along with sixteen other service members, has been recovered and returned to his family.
Captain Turnbull was born on April 24, 1917, in Canton, OH, to the late Harold and Helen Klein Turnbull. He received a Bachelor's Degree from Georgia Tech in 1940. He began serving his country in the Army in 1943. He was relieved of active duty in 1946 at the rank of Captain, Army Air Corps Reserve. He was then recalled to active duty in the United States Air Force in 1951.
He married the late Doris Latimer on May 11, 1940. Surviving letters and postcards reveal the love and devotion he had for his wife and children. The letters, postcards and photographs further reveal that he was a man of many hobbies including golfing, fishing and enjoying the craftsmanship of cars, especially ones built by the Nash Motors Company.
Survivors include: grandchildren, Sharon Sellers of Ochlocknee, GA, Nina Willis (Greg) of Cairo, GA, and William Jarrett Turnbull (Jennifer) of Boston, GA; great-grandchildren, Jonathan Lee Sellers, of Ochlocknee, GA, Joseph Baxley of Ochlocknee, GA, Chris Sellers of Cairo, GA, and Paul Sellers, III of Ochlocknee, GA, Taylor Ansley of Cairo, GA, Maelee Sellers of Cairo, GA, Jane Waver Willis of Cairo, GA, Gretchen Turnbull, Malorie Turnbull, and Avery Turnbull; daughter-in-law, Patsy Turnbull; son-in-law, Wayne Bonner; brother, David Turnbull (Joan); and a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
Deceased family members are his wife; parents; son, Robert Turnbull, Jr.; twin daughters, Jean Bonner and Joan Sellers; son-in-law, Paul Sellers; grandson, Paul Sellers, Jr.; sister, Jean Turnbull Carper.
Clark Funeral Home
.......................
U.S. Air Force Capt. Robert W. Turnbull of Thomasville was aboard a C-124 Globemaster that crashed in Alaska on Nov. 22, 1952.
From WCTV.TV
Source:
Thomasville Times Enterprise
Thomasville, Georgia
Issue of July 9, 2014
.
The remains of a local airman who died in a military plane crash more than 60 years ago will soon be brought back to Tallahassee to be buried next to his wife.
Captain Bob Turnbull was one of 52 people killed when their C-124 crashed into a glacier in Alaska and became buried in snow. That was 1952.
Fast forward 60 years. Some of that ice and snow has shifted and melted and national guardsmen on a training mission spotted the wreckage.
Turnbull's family in South Georgia was recently notified that his remains had been positively identified through DNA and will be flown home next week.
"One of the things with these families is for 60 years now they have been sitting... thinking ...what happened. They know that they have died in a plane crash in Alaska - but that's it. This will give them closure," Douglas Beckstead said. Beckstead is a historian with the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Turnbull left behind a wife and three small children. His grandchildren will soon receive his remains and make sure he is buried in next to his wife in a tiny cemetery in Thomas County.
We'll be talking with his family tomorrow and will share his homecoming with you next week.
........
Thomasville Times Enterprise
July 9, 2014
Staff report CNHI
ANSWERS FOUND
On June 18, The Department of Defense announced 17 service members, including Capt. Robert W. Turnbull of Thomasville, were recovered from a C-124 Globemaster aircraft that was lost on Nov. 22, 1952.
In addition to Turnbull, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Lawrence S. Singleton, Pvt. James Green Jr., and Pvt. Leonard A. Kittle; U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Earl J. Stearns; U.S. Navy Cmdr. Albert J. Seeboth; U.S. Air Force Col. Noel E. Hoblit, Col. Eugene Smith, 1st Lt. Donald Sheda, 1st Lt. William L. Turner, Tech. Sgt. Engolf W. Hagen, Staff Sgt. James H. Ray, Airman 1st Class Marion E. Hooton, Airman 2nd Class Carroll R. Dyer, Airman 2nd Class Thomas S. Lyons, Airman 2nd Class Thomas C. Thigpen, and Airman 3rd Class Howard E. Martin were recovered and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
On Nov. 22, 1952, a C-124 Globemaster aircraft crashed while en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from McChord Air Force Base, Wash.. There were 11 crewmen and 41 passengers on board. Adverse weather conditions precluded immediate recovery attempts. In late November and early December 1952, search parties were unable to locate and recover any of the service members.
On June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard (AKNG) UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crew spotted aircraft wreckage and debris while conducting a training mission over the Colony Glacier, immediately west of Mount Gannett. Three days later, another AKNG team landed at the site to photograph the area and it found artifacts at the site that related to the wreckage of the C-124 Globemaster. Later that month, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and Joint Task Force team conducted a recovery operation at the site and recommended it continued to be monitored for possible future recovery operations.
In 2013, additional artifacts were visible and JPAC conducted further recovery operations. DoD scientists from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used forensic tools and circumstantial evidence in the identification of 17 service members. The remaining personnel have yet to be recovered and the crash site will continued to be monitored for future possible recovery. Turnbull's remains will be flown from the JPAC headquarters in Hawaii to Tallahassee, Fla., on July 17.
A tribute service for him is set for July 18 and a grave side service with full military honors is July 19 at 11 a.m. Turnbull has had a grave marker at Barnetts Creek Baptist Church since 1956.
.
Husband of Doris Latimer Turnbull
(Grandson of Louisa Turnbull Klein Betts)
His children, Bob, Joan & Jean are all buried at Pine Park Cemetery. Links have been requested.
....
Captain Robert William Turnbull, Sr., USAF
April 24, 1917 – November 22, 1952
Funeral services for Captain Robert William Turnbull, Sr., USAF, age 35, of Thomasville, GA, are at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, July 19, 2014, graveside in Barnetts Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Thomas County, GA, with full military honors. Chaplain Matthew Dussia, USAF will officiate. Active pallbearers will be the Tyndall Air Force Base Honor Guard. Honorary pallbearers will be the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
On Nov. 22, 1952, Captain Turnbull was onboard a C-124 Globemaster aircraft that crashed while en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from McChord Air Force Base, Washington. There were 11 crewmen and 41 passengers on board. Search parties were unable to locate and recover any of the service members because of adverse weather conditions at the time of the crash. Then on June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crew spotted aircraft wreckage while conducting a training mission in Alaska. Sixty-one years have passed since the airplane crash; and Captain Turnbull, along with sixteen other service members, has been recovered and returned to his family.
Captain Turnbull was born on April 24, 1917, in Canton, OH, to the late Harold and Helen Klein Turnbull. He received a Bachelor's Degree from Georgia Tech in 1940. He began serving his country in the Army in 1943. He was relieved of active duty in 1946 at the rank of Captain, Army Air Corps Reserve. He was then recalled to active duty in the United States Air Force in 1951.
He married the late Doris Latimer on May 11, 1940. Surviving letters and postcards reveal the love and devotion he had for his wife and children. The letters, postcards and photographs further reveal that he was a man of many hobbies including golfing, fishing and enjoying the craftsmanship of cars, especially ones built by the Nash Motors Company.
Survivors include: grandchildren, Sharon Sellers of Ochlocknee, GA, Nina Willis (Greg) of Cairo, GA, and William Jarrett Turnbull (Jennifer) of Boston, GA; great-grandchildren, Jonathan Lee Sellers, of Ochlocknee, GA, Joseph Baxley of Ochlocknee, GA, Chris Sellers of Cairo, GA, and Paul Sellers, III of Ochlocknee, GA, Taylor Ansley of Cairo, GA, Maelee Sellers of Cairo, GA, Jane Waver Willis of Cairo, GA, Gretchen Turnbull, Malorie Turnbull, and Avery Turnbull; daughter-in-law, Patsy Turnbull; son-in-law, Wayne Bonner; brother, David Turnbull (Joan); and a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
Deceased family members are his wife; parents; son, Robert Turnbull, Jr.; twin daughters, Jean Bonner and Joan Sellers; son-in-law, Paul Sellers; grandson, Paul Sellers, Jr.; sister, Jean Turnbull Carper.
Clark Funeral Home
.......................
U.S. Air Force Capt. Robert W. Turnbull of Thomasville was aboard a C-124 Globemaster that crashed in Alaska on Nov. 22, 1952.
From WCTV.TV
Source:
Thomasville Times Enterprise
Thomasville, Georgia
Issue of July 9, 2014
.
The remains of a local airman who died in a military plane crash more than 60 years ago will soon be brought back to Tallahassee to be buried next to his wife.
Captain Bob Turnbull was one of 52 people killed when their C-124 crashed into a glacier in Alaska and became buried in snow. That was 1952.
Fast forward 60 years. Some of that ice and snow has shifted and melted and national guardsmen on a training mission spotted the wreckage.
Turnbull's family in South Georgia was recently notified that his remains had been positively identified through DNA and will be flown home next week.
"One of the things with these families is for 60 years now they have been sitting... thinking ...what happened. They know that they have died in a plane crash in Alaska - but that's it. This will give them closure," Douglas Beckstead said. Beckstead is a historian with the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Turnbull left behind a wife and three small children. His grandchildren will soon receive his remains and make sure he is buried in next to his wife in a tiny cemetery in Thomas County.
We'll be talking with his family tomorrow and will share his homecoming with you next week.
........
Thomasville Times Enterprise
July 9, 2014
Staff report CNHI
ANSWERS FOUND
On June 18, The Department of Defense announced 17 service members, including Capt. Robert W. Turnbull of Thomasville, were recovered from a C-124 Globemaster aircraft that was lost on Nov. 22, 1952.
In addition to Turnbull, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Lawrence S. Singleton, Pvt. James Green Jr., and Pvt. Leonard A. Kittle; U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Earl J. Stearns; U.S. Navy Cmdr. Albert J. Seeboth; U.S. Air Force Col. Noel E. Hoblit, Col. Eugene Smith, 1st Lt. Donald Sheda, 1st Lt. William L. Turner, Tech. Sgt. Engolf W. Hagen, Staff Sgt. James H. Ray, Airman 1st Class Marion E. Hooton, Airman 2nd Class Carroll R. Dyer, Airman 2nd Class Thomas S. Lyons, Airman 2nd Class Thomas C. Thigpen, and Airman 3rd Class Howard E. Martin were recovered and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
On Nov. 22, 1952, a C-124 Globemaster aircraft crashed while en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from McChord Air Force Base, Wash.. There were 11 crewmen and 41 passengers on board. Adverse weather conditions precluded immediate recovery attempts. In late November and early December 1952, search parties were unable to locate and recover any of the service members.
On June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard (AKNG) UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crew spotted aircraft wreckage and debris while conducting a training mission over the Colony Glacier, immediately west of Mount Gannett. Three days later, another AKNG team landed at the site to photograph the area and it found artifacts at the site that related to the wreckage of the C-124 Globemaster. Later that month, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and Joint Task Force team conducted a recovery operation at the site and recommended it continued to be monitored for possible future recovery operations.
In 2013, additional artifacts were visible and JPAC conducted further recovery operations. DoD scientists from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used forensic tools and circumstantial evidence in the identification of 17 service members. The remaining personnel have yet to be recovered and the crash site will continued to be monitored for future possible recovery. Turnbull's remains will be flown from the JPAC headquarters in Hawaii to Tallahassee, Fla., on July 17.
A tribute service for him is set for July 18 and a grave side service with full military honors is July 19 at 11 a.m. Turnbull has had a grave marker at Barnetts Creek Baptist Church since 1956.
.
Inscription
Captain, U.S. Air Force
U.S. Army Air Forces, World War II
Korea
