President Joe Biden shares a harrowing family tale of his uncle vanishing in WWII, a story met with differing military records
During a heartfelt address to the United Steelworkers Union in Pittsburgh, President Joe Biden delved into his family’s military history, recounting the mysterious disappearance of his uncle, Ambrose Finnegan, in New Guinea during World War II. According to President Biden, his uncle, nicknamed Bozey, was a pilot shot down in a region reportedly inhabited by cannibals, leading to his disappearance.
The president, reflecting on the valour of his mother’s four brothers who volunteered for military service following D-Day, highlighted Uncle Bozey’s bravery. “He was a hell of an athlete, they tell me, when he was a kid,” Biden shared, adding that his uncle flew reconnaissance missions over war zones in single-engine planes. The unsettling conclusion to Finnegan’s story, as told by Biden, is that “They never found the body because there were a lot of cannibals, for real, in that part of New Guinea.”
However, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency offers a different account of Finnegan’s fate. Their records indicate that on May 14, 1944, Finnegan was a passenger on a plane that was forced to ditch in the ocean off New Guinea’s north coast after both engines failed at low altitude. The agency reports that while one crew member survived, three others, including Finnegan, were lost in the crash and never recovered.
This isn’t the first time Biden’s narratives have raised eyebrows. His penchant for embellishment has been a recurring theme in his political career, drawing scrutiny over various claims about his personal history and achievements. Just earlier this week, Biden erroneously claimed he was the first in his family to attend college, despite previously stating his grandfather played college football.
As President Biden seeks to connect with audiences through personal anecdotes, the discrepancies in his storytelling have provided fodder for critics and fact-checkers alike. The ongoing debate about the veracity of his accounts reflects broader challenges in public communication, especially when personal histories intersect with public records.
The tale of Uncle Bozey’s disappearance serves not only as a poignant reminder of the countless unresolved mysteries lingering from past wars but also as a glimpse into the complex weave of personal memory and historical documentation.
