Our friend and fellow Flying Tiger survivor, Sammy Vasquez of Phoenix, Arizona, sent us two group photos taken aboard the Celerina on the final leg of the journey, following the airlift of 17 to Ireland. We have been able to identify a number of those in the photos but are seeking help in identifying others. Here is the first photo:
At Antwerp, Belgium
Continue to read this post for a closer view of the photo and see who we have identified.
Survivors at Antwerp with Celerina Crew Members
To make identification a little easier, the photo is cut into two pieces. Here is a view of just the front row:
Front row of group picture.
Shown from the far left is: Celerina Deck Hand Pierre-Andre Reymond, Switzerland; Pvt. Sammy Vasquez, Phoenix, Arizona; Pvt. Joe E. Hofer, Birmingham, Alabama; Pvt. Gordon Thornsberry, Russellville, Arkansas; and Celerina 2nd Steward Jean-Claude Bovier.
Here is a closer look at the back rows:
Back rows of group photo.
From the far left: Pvt. Michael Murray, Youngstown, Ohio; (in white shirt) Celerina Mess Boy Emil Kohler; (standing slightly behind Kohler) Pvt. Reynolds Mendez, Chula Vista, California; Pvt. Dominic Tuminnello, Mohnton, Pennsylvania (kneeling); an unidentified trooper; Flying Tiger Stewardess Carol Ann Gould Hansen, Lyndhurst, New Jersey; Mrs. Carmen Figueroa-Longo, Santurce, Puerto Rico; (to her immediate right) Pvt. Charles P. Keck, Gibonville, North Carolina; Capt. Juan Figueroa-Longo, MD, Santurce, Puerto Rico, and an unidentified trooper.
Your help in identifying the remaining persons in the photo will be greatly appreciated. We will display the second photo in the weeks to come.
Flying Tiger 923 
The man on the far right is my uncle, Richard M. Trawick from Birmingham, AL. He is still alive and I will pass this along to him. Thank you, Ginny Trawick Farley
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I WILL MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT IT. HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING THE WEB SITE. ALL THE BEST, FRED CARUSO (IRISH O’CARUSO
THE FIFTH PERSON IN FROM THE LEFT AT THE TOP IS PVT. THOMAS P. KOLTAK, LIVING IN PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC.
behind carmen figueroa-longo is me doug werner and behind me to the right(dark hair) is edwin widmer also ginny tell your uncle i said hi would love to get in touch with him
doug wild man werner how areyou markham x from lee barracks
I’m doing good getting ready to turn the big 70 can’t believe it don’t jump anymore
that does not look at all like Carol Gould !
It’s not Carol Gould – it’s Captain Lugli’s daughter according to a book I’m reading. It includes a photo of Lugli’s daughter, too.
Private Gordon Thornsberry spoke at our Memorial Day service in Russellville, AR today about this plane crash. He is a member of the Pope County Quoram Court and was asked to be our speaker. He was pretty choked up at times.
Happy 69th Birthday, D-Day; your survival & existence has given our family a sense of consolation, especially since you live just a few miles from all of us, in the Valley of the Sun. In a strange way, our beloved Carroll Mac Johnson lives, because you survived, returned home, and brought something of Uncle Mac back to us: His Good Friend Sammy Vasquez.
Just behind Carol Ann Gould Hansen is, my father, Larry ‘Skip’ Davidson. You can only see his head a little to the left of Carol. He passed away at 49 from a brain tumor and never talked about this event. I only know what I read in a couple of old magazine articles that my grandmother had. It is interesting for me to be able to read more about what happened and to understand what he may have gone through. Thanks for this website.
The unidentified black trooper in the middle very back is my Uncle Robert “Bobby” Dawkins. He currently lives in Atlanta, GA
Would love to know if anyone remembered Sgt.Melvin Baney. He didn’t know how to swim and his body was never found, but always wondered if any survivors knew or remembered him from the flight.
Thanks.