‘Finally home’: Fallen WWII pilot from Utah is laid to rest after 81 years

Sailors with the Navy Reserve Center in Salt Lake City carry the casket of Utah native Ensign Howard Holding in the Salt Lake City Cemetery on Friday. Holding was declared missing in action but his remains were finally recovered and he was laid to rest. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News SALT LAKE CITY — The somber notes of “Danny Boy” rang out at the Salt Lake City Cemetery as Howard Allen Holding, a U.S. Navy World War II pilot, was at last laid to rest among his family and community on Friday. Holding, along with other members of the VF-20 squadron aboard the USS Enterprise, took off for a dangerous mission over the Japanese-held island of Yap on Sept. 6, 1944. The goal: to destroy critical telephone and telegraph lines. Tragically, all three pilots lost their lives within seconds as their planes collided and were shot down due to unexpected heavy anti-aircraft fire. WWII bomber crash left 11 dead and ‘non-recoverable.’ 4 are finally coming home Brent Jacob, Howard’s nephew, recounted, “His body was not recovered. As she heard that news, (Howard’s mother) fainted, and after she recovered, one of her hands shook like that for the rest of her life.” Ensign Howard Holding | Larkin Mortuary Through her grief, Ida Holding, Jacob’s grandmother and Howard Holding’s mother, joined the Gold Star Mothers organization in Salt Lake City. His name, like many others, is commemorated in Memory Grove Park, serving as a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice. Brent Jacobs, who was barely 2 years old at the time, only recalls his uncle’s memory through stories told to him. “His memory was very much kept alive, and from stories I have heard, he was a very caring, loving person, fabulous jazz trumpet player,” he said. At the memorial, Patrick Ranfranz, a private researcher, held up a piece of glass that he believed was from Holding’s cockpit, an item he treasured for the last 20 years. “Every time I look at it, I’m reminded of their courage, their sacrifice,” he said, highlighting the piece of glass. RELATED | What if? Woman who lost father in WWII bomber crash at INL reflects on his life Ranfranz described how he imagined Howard’s final moments: “Every time I hold this glass, I try to see the world through Howard’s eyes; I imagine the sky stretching endlessly above him, the sun clicking off the water below the focus, the courage, the resolve, this fragile glass carries away to the three young men’s bravery, their sacrifice and their spirit.” Terri Trick, Holding’s niece, described the emotional impact: “Seeing the casket come out of the plane — I of course broke down into tears and sobs, because it’s been 81 years for Howard. It’s been 15 years of trying really hard to find him for me. But it also is joy, because now he’s home.” “My grandma always used to say, ‘We’ll never find Howard. He’s somewhere down in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and we will never know, never, ever know what happened to him,’” Trick said. Terri Trick memorializes her uncle, Utah native Ensign Howard Holding, during his graveside ceremony in the Salt Lake City Cemetery on Friday. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News Trick traveled to Yap and visited many crash sites, creating a journal. She says she now feels a sense of relief that she has not felt in a long time. Trick thanked Ranfranz, saying, “If it hadn’t been for Pat, I don’t think any of us would be here today. Howard would still be missing. He would be a mystery, and we just wouldn’t know what happened to him.” Ranfranz, who maintains the Missing Year Crew Project group on Facebook, said, “It’s a matter of me just persistence and staying on it. Otherwise, the Yap unknowns never would have been identified.” He continues to campaign for recovery and identification of other missing airmen both publicly and in partnership with government agencies. Ranfranz began his research 40 years ago, looking for his uncle who was also shot down over Yap. In 2005, Ranfranz used disposable income to go to Yap and search for his uncle’s plane. His search came up empty regarding his uncle’s plane, but he discovered many other American planes. “So I went back home after that trip and researched all the planes that were lost over Yap,” Ranfranz said. “And I was really surprised to find that 40-plus planes, American planes, were lost over Yap, and over 100 men were missing in action.” In the end, his hard work paid off. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency informed Ranfranz that because of his research, it was going to exhume the remains of the unknowns. Ranfranz began to ask the families of lost soldiers for DNA testing while DNA testing was conducted on the remains. Due in part to his dedication, three American soldiers have been returned to their families. “Howard is one of the three out of all 40 planes shot down. I researched them, and I contacted Terry in 2010 and told her, ‘I think we found Howard’s plane,’” he said. Holding’s story reaffirms the importance of never forgetting the sacrifice of the brave soldiers who tragically perished but whose legacies continue to live on. In Trick’s words: “This is for Howard, whom I never met, but have always known. … Now, after 81 years, Howard, you’re finally home.”The post ‘Finally home’: Fallen WWII pilot from Utah is laid to rest after 81 years appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com