DHL assists in recovery of American WWII decorated flier in Poland

MIAMI, Fla. – September 10, 2012: DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist within Deutsche Post DHL, assisted in the transportation of archeological equipment from Columbus, OH to Poland for surveying of the site for exhumation of a decorated World War II lieutenant. The air freight shipment will arrive in Lubin, Poland where the historical excavation of 1st Lt. Ewart T. Sconiers, the last American officer to be recovered from the Stalag Luft III German prison camp, will take place. The recovery will be conducted by the United States Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in Action Accounting Command (JPAC).

In 1955 the U.S. Defense Prisoner of War/ Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) declared Sconiers as “unrecoverable,” but reopened his case in 2006 and is believed to be buried in a city park, previously a municipal cemetery, in Lubin. After learning about the high cost to ship the archeological equipment to be used by Dr. Jarrod Burks with Ohio Valley Archeology, Inc., the lieutenant’s niece contacted DHL Global Forwarding.

“The story of Lt. Sconiers was so compelling, DHL Global Forwarding’s Ohio team was honored to participate in bringing this WWII hero to his final resting place in the U.S., pro-bono,” said Mary Heffelbower, Air Export manager, DHL Global Forwarding Columbus, OH.

“I thank DHL Global Forwarding for playing a critical role in shipping the equipment that will help finally bring my uncle home after 68 years,” said Pamela L. Sconiers Whitelock, Sconiers’ niece. “Because there are so many unmarked graves in the park, the surveying equipment is essential to helping better identify the most likely spot for the excavation.”

In 1942 Sconiers was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for safely landing his plane in England after surviving Nazi fire. He was captured by the Nazis and imprisoned in a camp in German-occupied Poland where he later died on January 24, 1944.