I was stationed at the US Naval Hospital, Yokosuka, Japan as a Navy Embalmer at the Far East Mortuary at the time of the shoot down.
I got the call that a plane had been shot down with 31 men aboard and to prepare for many bodies. We only received 2 bodies.
At the time we (there was another embalmer with me) were told not to say anything about this incident. We were also told that the bodies that we had received were picked up by a Russian destroyer. I have since found that this was not true, at least by accounts on the Internet.
After we prepared these 2 casualties, they were sent to anthropology in Hawaii for identfication. We had no way of identifying them at our facility.
I have seen the manifest of who was on the plane, and have always wondered who these 2 men were? It has bothered me for years that maybe this incident was never known about and it was another war story that would be kept quiet. I see though, from the Internet, that there is information regarding this incident and at least it was not forgotten.
I would appreciate any information regarding the identities of the two recovered men for my own peace of mind.
Go to the following website for VQ1 www.centkurum.com/vq// That's the squadrons website and it may have the information you are looking for. I think one of the men was Ltjg Rebar, I think he was from Texas
Found the following information: The two people recovered were: AT1 Richard E. Sweeney; Chicago, Ill Ltjg Joseph R. Ribar-----Ambridge, Pa. lTJG Ribar's widow lives in Texas
