The Story of the WW2 Airman Found Frozen in Sierra Nevada

During World War II, many brave soldiers went on missions that held great risks. One such story is that of an airman who was found frozen in ice many years after his plane went missing.

Discovery of the Remains

In a remote part of Kings Canyon, east of Fresno, California, two hikers made a chilling discovery in October 2005. They found the frozen body of a man with blond, wavy hair, dressed in a tattered sweater, with an unopened parachute nearby. The hikers were Peter Stekel and his friend, researching for a book about a World War II training flight that had disappeared long ago.

Stekel recalled, “You don’t often have an opportunity in life to provide people with the answers to questions that they have always wanted to know the answer to. Having the ability to supply that information just makes me really happy.”

The Missing Flight

Ernest G. Munn was 23 years old when he vanished on November 18, 1942, during a training flight over the Sierra Nevada mountain range. He and three other men, including their lieutenant, took off from Mather Field in California. Their aircraft, an AT-7 Navigator, had enough fuel for about five hours but never returned to base.

Despite an extensive month-long search, authorities couldn’t locate the missing plane or its crew. In 1947, hikers on Darwin Glacier in the Sierra Nevada found plane wreckage but no bodies, leaving the fate of the men a mystery.

Identifying the Remains

The discovery made by Stekel and his friend was significant. DNA analysis confirmed that the frozen remains were those of Ernest G. Munn. The U.S. military’s Department of Defense announced this identification and notified his family in St. Clairsville, Ohio.

Munn was one of four siblings. He did well in school and was protective of his three younger sisters. His family remembered him fondly. One of his sisters mentioned that Munn was her idol. She said, “He was tall and good-looking. And when he walked in, they said, ‘Here comes the blond bomber.’ And I would say, ‘That’s my brother.'”

Continued Search for Other Crew Members

The remains of another crew member, Leo M. Mustonen, were discovered by backpackers near Darwin Glacier in October 2005. Stekel and his friend found Munn’s remains about 100 feet from where Mustonen’s body was found. Authorities continue to search for the other crew members, hoping to bring closure to their families.

Ernest G. Munn’s Legacy

Munn enlisted in the Army at 23, leaving behind his family, who missed him dearly. He kissed his sisters goodbye and asked his mother never to cut her long hair. His mother lived to be 102 years old and never cut her hair, passing away without knowing her son’s fate.

The military has informed Munn’s surviving sisters, about their brother’s identification. Ernest G. Munn was buried in Colerain, Ohio.