S/Sgt Thomas M McGraw Tom was raised along with his seven brothers and two sisters in Lakewood Ohio. Lakewood is the closest western suburb to Cleveland Ohio. It is close knit with over 50,000 residents. All located within a approximately 3 mile by 3 mile area. As an example to this day 7/30/2019 their is no school bus program. Never has been. Every child walks to a school close to their home. They love it. Tom grew up in the family home located at 2126 Elbur Ave Lakewood Ohio 44107. Of Irish/Scottish ancestry they were loving,proud,independent and hard working. Tom's father Tom Sr. worked for Dupont along with my mother Anne (McGraw) Fox during the war years. Unknowingly at this time they were both working on the Manhattan Project. Which they discovered later after the war. Tom's mother Nora (Kilcoyne) McGraw was a homemaker and ruled the roost with an Iron Fist. I have first hand knowledge. Very loving and caring she was both fun and a inspiration. Just dont lie steal or cheat and you avoided the rath. Ha!Ha! I have so many fond memories of my grandparents and growing up in Lakewood. Tom enlisted along with five other brothers to serve America and freedom during the war. Flung all over the world all came home except Tom. On 2/28/1945 Nora (Kilcoyne) McGraw was added to the long list of grieving mothers as a Gold Star family. Up and down the street,the city, the state and the whole country had blue and gold stars displayed in their windows to honor their sons and daughters. Praying everyday to avoid the honor of the gold star for a lost son or daughter. To this day I am unable to comprehend these families that had so many multiple children all serving at the same time to function and stay focused on the day to day many needs on the homefront during this time. S/Sgt Thomas M McGraw was on 02/28/1945 on a mission from their home base at Grottagile, Italy at 8:46am. In their B-24 #42-51642 named the Hanson crew piloted by Howard Hanson. Fitted with the newest radar technology this B-24 was referred to as a "Micky ship". This involved a extra crew member beyond the normal 10 man crew. So their job was to be the deputy lead position, in the first formation consisting of four other formations spaced at 12 minutes apart from each other. The Hanson crew was responsible for sharing and communicating the quadrants to the formations following on the mission to bomb and destroy a critical railroad bridge at Albes, Italy, south of the Brenner pass. This was at the closing days of the war with Germany. Of special interest is that on this final mission the Navigator of the Hanson crew Tony (Anthony) Fermano was ordered at the last minute to navigate another lead B-24 and was replaced. Please remember that this crew had trained together from day one back home in America. This was considered a bad omen to the crew. Tony witnessed the downing of his beloved crew. I have been privileged to correspond and talk on the phone with Tony on the phone before he passed in I think was 2016. The conclusion is that B-24 #42-51642 was hit with flakk and last reported seen with two engines out eventually trailing and falling behind. They never returned and were presumed to have crashed into the mountains. After a search and many years later were confirmed KIA or MIA and this was communicated to the concerned families. In reality the Hanson crew had flown low and managed to reach Grado Italy off the Adriatic Sea and crashed eight miles from shore in 40 feet of water. Attempting a water landing the B-24 (flying coffin) broke in half and sank in seconds. The B-24 in tests always broke in half and sank at the location of the lower bomb doors. This B-24 has been known by locals since the 1950's. Since then it has been pillaged and stripped of anything of value by rogue divers and scrap metal scroungers with no respect of this as a war grave protected site. So many parts have been stolen and held in private hands. One can only assume what personal items were pillaged. In early 2013 and with interest going back years local Italian archaeologist Freddy Furlan, The Grado Civil Patrol. local divers and others set out to finally identify this one B-24 of many others lost in and near Grado. In 2013 they recovered a oil cover serial # plate, the rear stabilizer with the # 51642 and body parts buried under the sand. At this point they contacted American Authorities DPAA/JPAC of their find and documentation. Two years later DPAA/JPAC did a recovery operation with the crew and divers of the salvage ship USNS Grasp. I cannot say enough about this crew's work and reverence for this recovery. In 2017 after many tests,anilization, DNA and personal items Confirmed the remains of S/Sgt Thomas M McGraw. Along with the remains were his dog tags and a pen light for reading maps etched on the side T.M.