Honor your hero with thoughts, memories, images and stories.
Matthew L. Ceranich, Uncle Matty to me, was the only uncle I never knew as I was not yet born when he was killed in 1944 on a gunnery training mission over Manfredonia, Italy, Sept. 14, 1944. Just 10 minutes after takeoff, as stated in the accident report, while setting up the autopilot, the pilot of the B-24H (airplane #42-64493) lost control of the aircraft which went into a spin and crashed. There was only one survivor, Sgt. Donald W. Eckwall, still living near Chicago, IL, as of 2013.
My Uncle Matty was a talented artist and cartoonist loved by everyone he knew. He actually had a job waiting for him after the war with Walt Disney himself. It is tragic he was never able to realize a promising career.