There's so much you can learn about local history in cemeteries. In one visit, a certain soldier's spirit who was Missing in Action, influenced me to park near his grave marker, so I could help fulfill his on-line record. Today's blog is about that experience.
From inside the vehicle I started looking around. That's when I noticed 3 headstones to my left. The one that I focused on was a cenotaph (a marker for someone whose body isn't buried there, because they are either interred elsewhere or body is lost) for Cpl. Irving A. Corliss, It said that he was a Veteran, born: 26 Feb 1920 and died: Death: 20 Jun 1945 (aged 25).
Because Tom likes to investigate history of people who passed, I took a picture of the cenotaph stone and sent it to him. I asked him to look up this soldier. ***I have Never done that before.** He found a record of him on Find a Grave.com.
REALIZING THE REQUEST - When I got home, I looked at the webpage https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56127653/irving_a-corliss, and I realized that of the 5 photos about this soldier's life, there was ONE MISSING. The photo of his cenotaph stone that I had just taken!
That told me that the soldier was there in spirit because I had stopped at his gravesite, and he wanted me to take a picture of the cenotaph and complete the record of his grave. I created a log in, and uploaded the photo to his reference page, so his life and death story is now complete.
It's amazing how the spirit of a person knows whenever you are visiting their grave, and lets you know. Sometimes, like this time, the spirit will ask for help or just let you know they are around.
About Corporal Irving A. Corliss from Find a Grave
Irving served as a Corporal on B-29A #42-93953, 6th Bomber Squadron, 29th Bomber Group, Very Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
He resided in Strafford County, New Hampshire prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on February 9, 1944 at Fort Deven's, Massachusetts. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Skilled mechanic and also as Single, with dependents.
B-29 #42-93953 was part of a mission sent out on May 5, 1945 when "55" B-29's bombed airfields at Oita, Tachiarai, Kanoya, and Chiran on Kyushu. "2" other B-29's also attacked targets of opportunity. Three B-29's were lost on this mission ( see below ).
B-29A #42-93953 took off on May 5, 1945 from North Field on Guam for a precision bombing mission against Tachiarai Airfield, Kyushu, Japan. They were shot down by Japanese aircraft and crashed, possibly at sea, during the war. Eight parachutes were seen to open by other planes.
Irving became a POW of the Japanese Army.
Based on Japanese records, Irving, along with 3 other crewmen, were shot and killed while trying to escape during the war.
(Photo: Article from local NH newspaper about Cpl Corliss missing. Credit: Find a Grave/Sam Pennartz)
His remains were not recovered and he was later declared "Missing In Action".
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart. Service # 31376497
Irving also has a "Cenotaph" in the Forest Glade Cemetery, Somersworth, New Hampshire with his Dad. His headstone there shows the date his B-29 was shot down and not the actual date he was killed.
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