Remains of MIA identified

[bdtex]

As a Civil War historian, I consistently encounter stories of soldiers who went off to war and ended up buried in the field or cemeteries as unknown soldiers and the families who knew nothing about what happened to their men. I can't imagine how hard that is.

This airman went MIA in Vietnam in 1967. Both his parents were alive at the time as well as his wife and 4 kids. His parents died without ever knowing what happened to him. He has been identified and will be buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

The History forum seems more appropriate than the Military forum for this thread.

U.S. pilot who vanished during Vietnam War spy mission finally accounted for

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Donald W. Downing was assigned to the 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron during the Vietnam War.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[whitehall]

The United States funds (not enough) an effort to identify the remains of American Servicemen who were killed in 20th century conflicts.

 

[westwall]

As a Civil War historian, I consistently encounter stories of soldiers who went off to war and ended up buried in the field or cemeteries as unknown soldiers and the families who knew nothing about what happened to their men. I can't imagine how hard that is.

This airman went MIA in Vietnam in 1967. Both his parents were alive at the time as well as his wife and 4 kids. His parents died without ever knowing what happened to him. He has been identified and will be buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

The History forum seems more appropriate than the Military forum for this thread.

U.S. pilot who vanished during Vietnam War spy mission finally accounted for

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Donald W. Downing was assigned to the 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron during the Vietnam War.

www.cbsnews.com

He was flying a reconnaissance mission, not a spy mission. I wish they would not use the wrong terminology for their clickbait.

 

[mikegriffith1]

This airman went MIA in Vietnam in 1967. Both his parents were alive at the time as well as his wife and 4 kids. His parents died without ever knowing what happened to him. He has been identified and will be buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Yeah, I wonder if this was another case where the Vietnamese had the body long ago and decided to put the remains back at the crash site so they could be "discovered." And, I hope the ID of the body was genuine. During the war, NBC News discovered that the Army's forensic unit in Hawaii was falsely identifying remains and then holding phony ceremonies for family members. Investigation revealed that some of the remains ID'd as servicemen were not even human.

 

[bdtex]

During the war, NBC News discovered that the Army's forensic unit in Hawaii was falsely identifying remains and then holding phony ceremonies for family members. Investigation revealed that some of the remains ID'd as servicemen were not even human.

Wow. I was only 16 when Saigon fell. I don't remember hearing about remains being falsely identified.

 

[mikegriffith1]

Wow. I was only 16 when Saigon fell. I don't remember hearing about remains being falsely identified.

You can find this shocking scandal fully discussed in O’Shea’s book Abandoned in Place, in Hendon and Stewart’s book An Enormous Crime, and in Cawthorne’s book The Bamboo Cage.