Airman First Class Karpowicz was the tail gunner of a B-26C Invader bomber with the 13th Bomber Squadron, 3rd Bomber Group out of Kunsan Air Force Base (K-8), South Korea. Born in Milwaukee, WIsconsin on August 28, 1931, he lived in Crivitz, Wisconsin, and graduated from High School in Crivitz in 1950. On the evening of May 17, 1953, his B-26C Invader (tail number 44-35882) departed from Kunsan Air Base with a crew of four airmen. The briefed mission was a night interdiction operation targeting main supply routes known as Red 3, 5 and 6. The flight plan covered routes from Pyongyang to Chaeryong, Sinwon-ni, Pyongsa, and Hungsu-ri to Kaesong. Approximately one hour before midnight, the Invader was diverted to north of Sinmak, targeting several enemy trucks in the area. Once in target range, the right engine took anti-aircraft artillery and went down. The pilot jettisoned the bomb load, as smoke filled the cockpit. After seeing that the engine burned off and the wing was bending from the heat, the pilot ordered the crew to bail out and evacuate. As the pilot and navigator descended, they observed the aircraft crash and burst into flames. On May 18, the pilot and the navigator were rescued, but all efforts to locate the gunner and the bombardier were unsuccessful. Following their rescue, the pilot and navigator stated that they did not see any signs of the two missing men, of which Airman First Class Karpowicz was one. This flyover and memorial service were at Arlington National Cemetery on August 6th, 2021 with full military honors. Arlington media was honored to capture the flyover for this Missing in Action service and memorial.

[igp-video src=”https://www.arlington.media/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/airman-first-class-karpowicz-was-the-tail-gunner-of-a-b-26c-invader-bomber-with-the-13th-bomber-squa.mp4″ poster=”https://www.arlington.media/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/airman-first-class-karpowicz-was-the-tail-gunner-of-a-b-26c-invader-bomber-with-the-13th-bomber-squa.jpg” size=”large”]Airman First Class Karpowicz was the tail gunner of a B-26C Invader bomber with the 13th Bomber Squadron, 3rd Bomber Group out of Kunsan Air Force Base (K-8), South Korea. Born in Milwaukee, WIsconsin on August 28, 1931, he lived in Crivitz, Wisconsin, and graduated from High School in Crivitz in 1950. On the evening of May 17, 1953, his B-26C Invader (tail number 44-35882) departed from Kunsan Air Base with a crew of four airmen. The briefed mission was a night interdiction operation targeting main supply routes known as Red 3, 5 and 6. The flight plan covered routes from Pyongyang to Chaeryong, Sinwon-ni, Pyongsa, and Hungsu-ri to Kaesong. Approximately one hour before midnight, the Invader was diverted to north of Sinmak, targeting several enemy trucks in the area. Once in target range, the right engine took anti-aircraft artillery and went down. The pilot jettisoned the bomb load, as smoke filled the cockpit. After seeing that the engine burned off and the wing was bending from the heat, the pilot ordered the crew to bail out and evacuate. As the pilot and navigator descended, they observed the aircraft crash and burst into flames. On May 18, the pilot and the navigator were rescued, but all efforts to locate the gunner and the bombardier were unsuccessful. Following their rescue, the pilot and navigator stated that they did not see any signs of the two missing men, of which Airman First Class Karpowicz was one. This flyover and memorial service were at Arlington National Cemetery on August 6th, 2021 with full military honors. Arlington media was honored to capture the flyover for this Missing in Action service and memorial.