Born on August 26, 1918, in Havre, Montana, Tom McCaslin was the third of 13 children born to George and Elizabeth “Bess” McCaslin. In the early 1920s, George and Bess moved to her hometown of Omaha, and eventually settled at 2725 Browne St.

Tom grew up attending Holy Angels Catholic Church and School. The church played a central role in his family’s life. The pastor at Holy Angels was MSGR Patrick Aloysius Flanagan, the brother of Boys Town founder, Fr. Edward J. Flanagan. MSGR Flanagan was influential in the lives of Tom and his siblings.

Remembered by his family as a fun-loving youth, Tom was a devoted brother who watched out for his sisters. However, that didn’t prevent him from having some fun at the expense of their enjoyment. When opera broadcasts were on the air, Tom’s sisters enjoyed gathering by the radio. As glorious music filled the room, Tom would make his entrance and sing mock arias to “enhance” the performance on the radio.

After completing 8th grade at Holy Angels, Tom enrolled at Creighton Prep High School. Upon graduating in 1937, he went to work as a machine operator at the T.F. Naughton Co. in downtown Omaha.

The Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor had a significant effect on 21-year-old Tom McCaslin. Ready to serve, he enlisted in the U.S. Army on January 3, 1942. Upon evaluating his options, he chose the Army Air Corps to avoid being “on his feet” in the infantry. After completing his training as an aerial gunner, Tom was assigned to the 555th Bomber Squadron, 386th Bomber Group, Medium, and was deployed to England in May 1943.

Upon arriving in England, Tom began flying missions as a tail gunner on the B-26 Bomber. From May 1943 – June 1944, Tom flew on 53 documented missions. However, based on their research, the McCaslin family believes the actual number of missions may have been as high as 62.

On June 22, 1944, just over two weeks after the D-Day invasion at Normandy, Tom was the tail gunner aboard a B-26 on a mission to bomb a chateau near Caen, France that was being used as a headquarters for the 12th SS Panzer Division.

As the U.S. bombers approached their target, they encountered heavy anti-aircraft resistance from German 88mm placements on the ground. Tom’s plane took a direct hit, burst into flames, and crashed.

About a week later, the War Department notified Tom’s family in Omaha that he was missing in action. Initially, the family held out hope that Tom had parachuted from the plane and was taken prisoner. His mother studied war films and newsreels hoping to see a glimpse of her son. However, that hope was extinguished in June 1945 when the family received official word that Tom had been declared dead. He was 25 years old.

When Tom’s plane crashed, the bodies of the crew were not recovered. After receiving word of her son’s death, Elizabeth McCaslin wrote to the Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army asking for any available information about what happened to her son’s body. This began a journey that the McCaslin family is still on more than 75 years later.

While the remains of six of the crew have been recovered, Tom’s remains are still unaccounted for. Led by his nephew and namesake, Tom McCaslin, the family has developed significant leads in the search for Tom’s remains. The McCaslin’s continue their quest and remain hopeful that one day they will welcome their loved one home.