William “Bill” Condon’s life changed when he heard these three words, “We identified him.” Standing in his home at the end of Sultan Street in Waukesha, he received a phone call in this past March with that message from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command — a phone call that had been more than 60 years in the making.
William Condon holds a picture of his brother Thomas driving a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with a friend on the back. According to William, his brother bought the motorcycle after he finished Air Force boot camp. Thomas died in 1952 while flying to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. His remains were found in 2012. (Catholic Herald photo by Ricardo Torres)
On Nov. 23, 1952, Condon was six months out of high school living at home with his parents and younger sister, but on that date he was home alone.
“A taxi cab pulled up to the front door,” he said. “(The driver) brought the telegram in.”
The Western Union telegram was addressed to his parents “Mr. and Mrs. Harold J. Condon” from Washington, D.C.
It is with deep regret that I officially inform you that your son Airman Second Class Thomas Condon has been missing in flight since 23, Nov. 1952 between McChord Air Force base Washington and Elmendorf Air Force base Alaska, extensive search now being conducted. When further information is received you will be notified immediately. A letter containing further details will be forwarded to you at the earliest possible date. Please accept my sincere sympathy in this time of anxiety.
– Major John H. McCormick, Dr of Military Personell (sic) HQ US Air Force Bases
Six days later, another telegram arrived at home, again addressed to his parents.
It is with deep regret that I officially inform you of the death of your son, Airman Second Class Thomsas J. Condon.
Our report states that he died in Alaska on 22 November 1952 previously reported to you was based on Greenwich time. A letter containing further details will be forwarded to you at the earliest possible date. Please accept my sincere sympathy in this hour of grief.
– Major General John H. McCormick Director of Military Personnel Headquarters, United States Air Force
The plane that crashed was a C-124 Globemaster II with 11 crewmen and 40 passengers on
The death of and funeral arrangements for Thomas Condon was reported by the Waukesha Freeman in November and December 1952.
board, including Thomas Condon, two months shy of his 20th birthday.
“You wonder what really happened,” William Condon said. “I just accepted it. You’re in the military and that’s what happens sometimes.”
New Berlin residents, the Condon family attended Mass at St. Joseph Parish, Waukesha.
After the news spread through the community, then-pastor of the parish, Msgr. August Gearhard, ministered to the family.
“He came out to the house every day for a couple of weeks,” Condon recalled.
The funeral Mass was Dec. 6 in spite of the fact that his remains were never found, that is until 2012. This past Wednesday, May 25, Fr. Javier Bustos, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Waukesha, was scheduled to celebrate a second funeral Mass for the Condon family and the local veteran community at the parish.
Condon, 82, doesn’t remember much from the first funeral, his mind filled with a lifetime of memories – marriage, children, grandchildren– but there are some details that remain.
“I know it was below zero that day, I know that,” he said, adding Msgr. Gearhard said the funeral Mass. “(The church) was pretty crowded.”
More than 60 years later, Condon learned the truth about his brother’s death.
Aircraft wreckage found in 2012
According to an Air Force press release, in 2012 an Alaska National Guard U-H Black Hawk crew spotted aircraft wreckage and debris while conducting a training mission of Colony Glacier. Three days later, another Alaska National Guard team landed at the site to photograph the area and found artifacts at the site related to the wreckage of the C-124.
That same year Condon got a call from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, in charge of finding the remains of missing servicemen and women, asking for a DNA sample.
“I was really skeptical,” Condon said. “I said, ‘Hey, what’s going on after 62 years?’”
Condon thought it could be a scam so he said, “No.” They called him again and convinced him to send a sample. A DNA kit was sent to his house and Condon swabbed the inside of his cheek and sent it back.
Four years later, he got the results – a perfect match.
“That was unbelievable,” he said. “It answered a lot of questions and made you feel proud (of the military) … the Air Force never quit looking.”
If not for Korea, he might have played pro ball
Thomas and William were roughly 18 months apart and like many brothers growing up, “He had his friends and I had mine.”
As kids, the family spent a lot of time on their grandparents’ farm in Edgerton in the Madison Diocese.
“He was great with driving anything — tractors, trucks, pick-ups, cars,” Condon said of his brother.
During the 1940s, Major League Baseball players left the field to join the service. The Condon brothers played in sandlots around Waukesha during the war years.
“I was an infielder, (Thomas) was a catcher,” Condon said. “Good, too. If it wasn’t for the (Korean) war, you might have seen him in the majors.”
Condon remembers his brother as being built for the position; he was strong and stocky.
During plays at the plate base runners would bounce right off of him.
“He’d hold his ground,” Condon said.
During his teenage years, Thomas worked at a drive-in movie theater located in an area close to where Brookfield Square stands today.
Air Force was opportunity, not escape
But as the 1950s were starting, so was another war – in Korea. For those not wanting to go to the frontlines, Condon said the Air Force was an alternative.
“They went into the Air Force so they wouldn’t get drafted into the Army,” Condon said of the time. “Everybody said if you go into the Air Force you won’t have to go to Korea. They were all going to Korea anyways.”
For Thomas, the Air Force wasn’t a way to escape, it was an opportunity. It was a chance to see the world beyond Waukesha and to serve his country like those that did a decade earlier.
“He always wanted to go to the Air Force,” Condon said of his brother, adding he and two friends volunteered together. “They already had their papers ready to go before they graduated.”
In 1951, not long after graduating from Waukesha High School, Thomas went to San Antonio, Texas, for boot camp. Condon remembers his brother telling him, during a short return home, that boot camp was tough “but he was tough, too” and it didn’t seem to bother him much.
That visit was the last time his family was with him.
Escort honored to be part of mission
Staff Sgt. Mario Super has been in the Air Force for the last 10 years. Originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina, he attended a local community college because he was “bored and wanted something different.” He was thinking about joining the military and talked to his uncle, who spent time in the Army, who thought the Air Force would be a good fit for him.
“Ten years ago if you would’ve told me I’d be doing this I’d be like, ‘What? Who does that?’” Super said. “This is the best job to have in the military.”
Super has had a lot of jobs in the Air Force including honor guard duties at funerals, but his trip to Waukesha will stand out in his mind for years to come. He is escorting the remains of Thomas Condon from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to his final resting place.
“To escort someone and bring them home, it’s an honorable experience,” he said. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to be a part of this mission. Not everyone gets a chance to do it and not everyone is up for the challenge to even do it.”
For Super, his role as an escort is bigger than the job itself.
“This could be the last time that they (the family) have any encounter with the military and you’re making that lasting impression,” he said. “They’re going to remember that for the rest of their lives.”
After more than 60 years, most of Thomas Condon’s body had decomposed, however there was enough to make a DNA match and the body will be wrapped with the uniform placed over it in a casket.
Funeral Mass to bring closure
When word arrived that the remains had been identified, calls were made to start the funeral arrangements. One of the first calls was to Fr. Bustos who was leaving a meeting when he saw a call from Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home.
“I know the funeral directors in the area … I immediately answered the phone call because it’s very hard to plan funerals,” Fr. Bustos said. “My surprise was he said the funeral was a month and a half later.”
The remains of Thomas Condon have taken the long way home — from Alaska through various government hallways and Air Force bases. That hasn’t been lost on Fr. Bustos.
“He had a funeral Mass 64 years ago,” Fr. Bustos said. “This is very meaningful because we can finally get closure for something that was open. It was like an open wound in Bill’s heart.”
After receiving the call, Fr. Bustos arranged to meet with Condon to learn more about his brother.
“When I met with Bill, he was crying,” Fr. Bustos said. “He said, ‘My father worked so hard to find those remains and he died and he never knew about it.’”
Fr. Bustos tried to comfort Condon by telling him the spirit of his mother and father may have helped find the remains.
When Fr. Bustos was assigned to St. Joseph Parish a year ago, he found the two chalices Msgr. Gearhard used during his Masses and had them restored. It’s likely one of those chalices was used during the first funeral in 1952, and Fr. Bustos planned to use one of those chalices during this funeral.
Fr. Bustos said the funeral this week, just days before Memorial Day, had a larger meaning to the veteran community at St. Joseph.
“We’re praying not only for (Thomas Condon), we’re praying for those who have suffered in the search,” Fr. Bustos said. “And those that are suffering because they’re waiting.”
