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Why the discovery of a WWII bomber is bringing closure to a Folsom woman

Diane Christie hopes her family's story will encourage other families looking for closure to not give up.

This year, Memorial Day will be more meaningful for a Folsom woman and her family after recently receiving the news that the plane her uncle was on during World War II was found.

"Memorial Day will never be the same," Diane Christie said.

Her uncle, Lt. Tom Kelly, and 10 other crew members were killed when their B-24 bomber was shot down by the Japanese on March 11, 1944.

“He was the bombardier, so he was at the very front of the plane, and that's the part that's intact,” said Christie.

Christie says after 74 years, her family will finally be able to fully memorialize her uncle at a ceremony in Livermore Sunday evening. The quest to learn more about Lt. Kelly’s final mission began in 2013.

“Five years ago, my cousin Scott Althaus, who is a professor at the University of Illinois decided to memorialize Memorial Day to see what it meant to him," Christie said.

Christie explained that 28 family members got together to collect photos and letters to help with Althaus’ research. Then, last year, Althaus turned over a 33-page report to an organization called Project Recover, which is made up of marine scientists, historians, and divers who are dedicated to finding aircrafts that have been missing since World War II.

“They found the plane in October, and they notified us on Good Friday of this year that they had found the plane," Christie said.

Christie said the B-24, named ‘Heaven Can Wait’, was found more than 200 feet beneath the Pacific Ocean Bay in Papua New Guinea. She told ABC10 that since her family was notified two months ago, they’ve been able to connect with the families of seven of the other crew members.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, there are still 72,000 Americans who remain unaccounted for from WWII.

“You just never know, don't give up hope,” said Christie.

She hopes her family’s story will encourage other families waiting to have closure to not give up.

Follow the conversation with Daniela Pardo on Facebook.

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