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MIA B757 Captain Mark Noah founded History Flight in 2003 as a way to combine his passion for aviation and vintage aircraft. The mission was simple; restore classic airplanes like the T-6 Texan and open cockpit Stearman Biplane and sell rides to the public. Just one year after it was founded, History Flight’s mission would embark on a fascinating new journey.
"I was asked to be a technical advisor on a search to find and identify a missing aircraft and its crew from WWII. It was such an amazing experience, that after doing that I decided to turn my organization into a non-profit business that organizes and funds searches for missing service personnel from the war," said Noah, who graduated from Emory University with a History degree.
More than 78,000 American servicemen are still missing from WWII. Noah has made it his mission to fund the search for these missing veterans. Through the generosity of private donors and by selling vintage airplane rides, Noah is able to give closure to some of the families who have been waiting decades for answers.
"These people have effectively been left behind for 65 years. This is one of the more gratifying things I've done in my life," said Noah.
In 2008, Noah traveled to the Island of Tarawa in the Pacific twice to search for the remains of the 1,013 members of the 2nd Marine Division left behind and buried after a brutal, 3-day battle. After much research by Noah and help from a geophysicist using a ground penetrating radar system (see above picture), the team was able to find a number of the lost graves.
“I've been contacted by a lot of the families of veterans and a lot of them express disbelief that they have never had any help or official response from the American government since the graves recovery effort was suspended in 1950.
History Flight also found success last year on the Island of Yap, about 700 miles east of the Philippines.
A cross made by Noah and his team marks the wreckage of a Navy plane that crashed on the Island. Noah says the pilot, Lt. Harry Brown’s remains were still in the plane. So far, Noah has been unable to locate any of Lt. Brown's surviving family members.
“It’s really an incredible tragedy,” said Noah. “The information related to the disappearance of a lot of these people was classified until 20 years after the parents of the missing were dead. It’s really a double tragedy. People call me up in tears and say they just want to know what happened to their brother before they die.”
The work of Noah’s History flight has captured the attention of the U.S. government. Noah is currently finishing a report on his findings for the Department of Defense. He will also be featured in a documentary on the search for missing soldiers scheduled to air on the Military Channel.
For more information or to make a donation, visit www.historyflight.com.
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