TAMPA, Fla. — Tonja Anderson-Dell sat patiently in the cell phone waiting lot at Tampa International Airport. Her eyes rarely left the clouds.
Her grandfather was finally coming home.
“I feel like I’m going to jump out of my skin,” she said.
Since 1999, Tonja has been searching for her grandfather, Isaac William Anderson. He was one of 52 servicemen killed when a military plane crashed while en route to Anchorage, AK in a 1952 snowstorm.
“I look at him and I just want to know what type of soldier he was. What type of person he would have been. What type of grandfather he would have been?” she said in a 2017 interview.
A crowd of nearly 100 people gathered at the Tampa International Airport Thursday morning to welcome home Anderson’s remains. Onlookers snapped photos and smiled as Tonja gave out hugs. Her father, dressed in all blue, smiled from behind his thick-rimmed glasses.
PHOTOS: Remains of airman brought home after 66 years
“I didn’t think it would be like this,” said Isaac Anderson, who was named after his father. “My daughter did most of the work.”
Isaac, 68, was in diapers when the plane crashed in 1952. His only memories of his father came from stories passed down through generations.
“You could say I’ve looked forward to it all my life,” he said.
One of the familiar faces in the cell phone lot was an out-of-towner. Vicki Dodson, 74, flew on a plane for the first time in her life this week to Tampa from just outside Ames, Iowa. Her brother, Airman 3rd Class Wayne D. Jackson, also died in the 1952 crash. His remains were recovered in March due in large part to Tonja’s search efforts.
“We’re more like sisters now,” said Dodson, who was seven when her brother died. “I almost wanted her to get her granddad as much as I wanted to get my brother.”
A 2012 Blackhawk training mission discovered a piece of a broken wing belonging to the 1952 plane. From there, Tonja’s research helped discover all but 13 of the deceased. She was given her grandfather’s unearthed dog tags in 2018.
“I haven’t slept. I’ve been up since 2:30 this morning trying to grasp all this,” she said.
The moment arrived with fanfare. The Tampa Fire Department sprayed arches of water over the arriving American Airlines flight at 1:09 p.m. Tonja’s son in law, who is active Air Force, was given permission to escort the remains home. He stood at attention as the casket was unloaded onto the tarmac. Tonja held hands with her father as the American flag-draped casket slowly slid into the hands of waiting military personnel.
“Joy, overwhelmed, and closure,” she said through tears. “I can’t speak right now.”
The crowd applauded. Years of searching led to an emotional reunion. The dozens of people gathered outside the plane witnessed a traditional military sendoff. The casket was loaded into a hearse and taken to the Garden of Memories funeral home where a service will take place Saturday.
As it pulled away, Tonja beamed.
“It’s real,” said the granddaughter. “It’s real for us.”
Timeline:
December 2018: Tonja receives a call that her grandfather had been identified. Her father signed the paperwork to release the ME report.
December 2018: Tonja sees Isaac William Anderson’s dog tag, which was buried in ice for 65 years.
February 2019: Tonja shares the service information.
April 2019: Tonja shares that her grandfather’s remains will return to Florida.
May 16: Isaac William Anderson’s remains are escorted by Tonja’s son-in-law to the final resting place. The funeral is scheduled for May 18.
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