WWII hero's special memento finally comes home to his family after 80 years

Technical Sergeant Joseph L. Gray was one of 31 U.S. servicemen who tragically died on April 23, 1945, when the group's B-17G Flying Fortress crashed into a mountain on the Isle of Man.

The plane never reached its destination after taking off from an airbase in England during World War II, news agency SWNS reported.

The tragedy remains the deadliest aviation disaster in the island's history, the same source noted.

Madar had been connected to Gray's family since 2020, when Gray's great-niece, Clare Quinn, reached out to him through a Facebook group about the crash.

"When I was visiting and holding the tag, something stuck out about the name and I remembered the post she had written five years ago," Madar recalled. "She asked about Joseph and told us all about him in a post she uploaded," he added, referring to Clare Quinn.

"I then reached out to her. That was where we came up with the plan to return it home through her sister," Madar said.

"I could see the emotion rush into her - her eyes began to tear up," Madar said about the moment he passed the tag to Bridgette Daily, Clare Quinn's sister.

"It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining," he recalled.

"We went in blind as we hadn't shared images of each other as we were talking over email," said Madar.

"We sat down and talked about the event, the history, and of course, Joseph," he said. 

"It was great to get to know him through her stories."

"I built the moment up, only revealing the letter when I thought it was the right time - it was a wonderful moment," said Madar.

Madar said he is "thankful" to the Manx Aviation and Military Museum for helping to make the transfer happen.