Biden says the military was unable to recover his uncle's remains during World War II because New Guinea “used to have a lot of cannibals”

CNN
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President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the United States' failure to recover the body of his uncle, Ambrose Finnegan, after Finnegan's plane crashed near New Guinea during World War II was because “there was no one in this area before.” “Because there were a lot of cannibals,” he twice suggested.

Mr. Biden's account of his uncle's death and possible cannibalism differs from a report released by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which states that Finnegan's A-20 plane was on a courier flight to New Guinea. Havok said he was “forced to make an emergency landing.” “For unknown reasons,” in the “sea” off the coast of the island.

“And my uncle, they called him Ambrose, they called him Bosie… and he went into the Army Air Corps, and before the Air Force came along, he worked as a combat zone reconnaissance. I was flying a single-engine plane,” Biden said in his speech. United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh. “And he was shot down in New Guinea, but his body was never found, because there were actually a lot of cannibals in that part of New Guinea.”

The president also told this story before departing from Scranton, Pennsylvania, earlier in the day.

In fact, cannibalism was recorded in the area in the mid-20th century.

However, the DPAA entry for Finnegan states that three men “failed to escape from the sinking ship and are missing in the crash,” and that an air search the next day found “no trace of the missing aircraft or missing crew.” was not found.” Additional crew members survived the crash, according to the report.

Biden's claim that the military was ultimately unable to recover Finnegan's body appears to be true. He is commemorated on the Wall of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines. During a visit to Pennsylvania earlier Wednesday, Mr. Biden visited the Veterans Memorial in Scranton, where he paid tribute to his uncle, who is also enshrined at the monument.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates told CNN on Wednesday: “President Biden is honoring his uncle, who was killed in a military uniform, when the military plane he was on crashed into the Pacific Ocean after taking off near New Guinea. I am proud of my accomplishments.” “When the president insisted on honoring our 'sacred promise' to equip those we send to war and to care for them and their families once they return home, the president highlighted his uncle's story and said that America's He reiterated that the last thing veterans should avoid is “are” a “sucker” or “loser.” ”

The White House did not provide additional details about Biden's claim that cannibals prevented the recovery of Finnegan's body.

Biden made the comment as part of a statement criticizing former President Donald Trump over a 2020 report that claimed he downplayed U.S. service members who died in combat and skipped ceremonies honoring veterans. did. President Trump disputed the report, but former White House chief of staff John Kelly later corroborated the report to CNN's Jake Tapper.