Remains of teen sailor who helped rescue downed WWII airmen identified 8 decades after crash

A Navy radioman whose patrol plane crashed during World War II has been accounted for over 80 years after his death, military officials said Thursday. 

U.S. Navy Aviation Radioman 2nd Class Robert L. Cyr Jr. enlisted at 17 and flew patrols in the Pacific, according to a news release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. While on leave one year after his enlistment, he told a local newspaper that he had flown about 112,000 miles on patrol flights.  

Cyr said that he had flown over Southern Pacific combat areas, including the Battle of the Solomon Islands. 

“Our regular job is to spot the enemy’s position, course and probably objective, and then get out of there if possible,” Cyr told the paper, according to a clipping shared by the DPAA. Patrol members also rescued other fliers who had been forced down, he said, noting that “the natives are friendly” and would help hide U.S. troops from Japanese forces. 

In 1944, Cyr was assigned to Navy Patrol Squadron 91, the DPAA said. On January 22, the 19-year-old and eight other crew members were aboard a PBY-5 Catalina seaplane that crashed during takeoff near the present-day Republic of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific Ocean. 

Three crew members survived the crash. Four were killed and their remains were found in the days that followed. Two airmen, including Cyr, were not recovered, and he was listed as missing in action. 

Cyr’s name was recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. A memorial mass was held, according to local papers. Cyr was survived by his parents and sister, according to the clippings.  

Cyr’s case remained stagnant for decades. In July 2022, researchers and divers from the underwater archaeology organization Sealark Exploration located and explored the wreck site on the behalf of the DPAA. Further excavations by DPAA partner Cosmos Archaeology were conducted in 2024 and 2025. The three expeditions resulted in documentation of the site and the recovery of possible evidence, including possible human remains, the DPAA said. 

Those remains, as well as possible bone fragments found at the site, were studied by the DPAA. The materials underwent anthropological study and mitochondrial DNA analysis. Material and circumstantial evidence was also studied. 

On Nov. 5, 2025, the DPAA identified the remains as Cyr’s. His family recently received a full briefing on his identification, allowing the agency to share further details of the process. 

Now that Cyr has been accounted for, a rosette will be placed next to his name on the Walls of the Missing. He will receive a burial with full military honors in Clearwater, Florida, on Saturday. 

An online obituary for Cyr says his family is also buried in Clearwater. His parents and sister, as well as his nephews, died before he could be accounted for, but he is survived by a niece and dozens of more extended relatives. According to the obituary, Cyr was awarded a number of honors, including the Purple Heart, a Navy Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Expeditionary Medal.