To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of WW II on September 2, Ancestry.com used its historical records and online family trees to uncover the remarkable story of a heroic B-17 crew.

Their modern-day descendants came together for the first time—like one final mission 80 years in the making.

“80% of Americans say they know very little about their personal connections to WWII,” said Ancestry Story Producer, Lisa Elzey. “I wanted to know more about my grandfather’s service, so I dove into the records to see what I might discover.”

Lisa came across an article that said her grandfather, Harold E. Lounsbury, Jr., was the ball turret gunner on a B-17 bomber that shot down three Nazi planes and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

She continued to dive into historical documents and discovered a photo of her grandfather with his fellow airmen alongside the story of a death-defying flight.

“I was so inspired by this incredible story of brotherhood these men must have experienced, that I wanted to connect with the descendants of these WWII veterans to see if they knew any more details of their ancestors’ heroism and bravery,” Lisa said.

An Emotional Reunion, Generations in the Making

Lisa then invited the descendants she uncovered to the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force to learn more about their family’s WWII stories. What they didn’t know was that they were also about to meet the other descendants of the B-17 crew for the very first time—and the TODAY Show filmed the reunion. (See the video at the bottom…)

After sharing heartwarming testimonies about why it’s important to preserve their family’s WWII legacy, Maribeth and Adam Taylor, Lesley Nall Oliverio, and Kris Olson were surprised when TODAY’s Anne Thompson revealed their connection to one another and to Lisa.

“In a tumultuous time these young men risked their lives. It’s meaningful to have us all here together—80 years later, as their living legacy.”

“I didn’t think I had anybody out there that knew anything about my father’s friends on the plane,” exclaimed Lesley. “I feel like I gained a new family.”

Adam echoed the sentiment, saying, “Your relatives are all people he loved…this means the world. This binds us together as humans. You guys are my family.”

The 20th century crew flew over 30 missions together, including one flight that earned them the Distinguished Flying Cross medal.

Their plane, the “Yankee Rebel,” was riddled with holes from enemy fire. The pilot was seriously injured and, even without landing gear, the flying fortress was brilliantly landed back in England safely by Lesley’s father, the co-pilot.

Adam even shared a piece of shrapnel from the plane, and read excerpts from his grandfather’s wartime journal, outlining a first-hand account of the mission.

“As survivors of WWII vets, learning about the rest of the crew and meeting their descendants was amazing—start to finish.

“This is one of the best days of my life,” said Kris.

HEARTWARMING WWII STORIES:
• Dog Tag of Fallen WW II Soldier is Returned to Family 80 Years After His Death
• Woman Discovers Exact Replica of Grandfather’s WWII Plane and Recreates 1942 Photo Before Getting a Special Ride

Ancestry is inviting everyone to learn more about their own family’s connection to WWII for free at Ancestry.com/WWII. The public can use the ‘Memories’ tool to attach their own wartime stories to their family tree, so generations to come can read them.

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