"Vietnam Veteran's Remains Flown Home By His Son" Topic

"After 52 years, the remains of Air Force pilot Col. Roy Knight Jr., who was shot down in 1967 during the Vietnam War, have finally come home.

And the plane that carried them, a commercial jet owned by Southwest Airlines, was flown by Knight's son Bryan Knight, a captain with the airline.

The remains arrived Thursday in a flag-draped casket at Dallas Love Field — the same airport where Col. Knight said goodbye to his then-5-year-old son…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Welcome home! RIP, Sir!

That is a very moving story. Incredible that identifiable remains can still surface after all this time. I recall, at the Unknown Soldiers' Honour Guard, in Wash DC being told there will never be another. DNA analysis can ensure that….

It may be of interest to some on TMP that DNA analysis is too expensive for most family members of the Vietnamese MIAs. As such many resort to using psychics. For a more modest fee they give the family a rough area to search and when they turn up some remains they bury them and get some kind of closure. I saw a documentary about it on TV a few years back.

Many graves in the quite substantial war cemeteries are believed to be empty. Makes sense when you think how hard it would have been to recover the bodies.

There are still parties searching for the remains of US MIAs. I doubt they will ever find them all.

Rest In Peace COL. You're back home …

There are still parties searching for the remains of US MIAs.

Sadly the longer remains are in jungle terrain, the soil is very acidic. Which increases how fast bones decay.

But on the other hand ancient remains of humans and animals are still found all over the world. Even if it is only teeth 1000s of years old.

But my two younger lads and my Missus, we was told fer sure….and we were tourists who did the respect thing…incredible how nany did not. Here comes a "snip"….. shits….who were not even US citizens folk. ( I mean the folk with VN Vets whatsoever never even remotely in country, et alone in a unit that involved being fired upon.)

There would never be another US Unknown Soldier…without a DNA analysis of the remains…..

God Bless them all. Without them I think, I would not have stood up for Gorbachev as he arrived in a Corfu restaurant. But then we would not have seen the Berlin Wall fall, we would not have Putin and his FSB lads with their incredibly…so badly mishandlended……chemical attacks…..

How glad am I that US kids fought a war in Hue in 68, which I followed on BBC.I was lucky..I know that

E.g. one of my older friends, Frank. Told me a story that some of his older friends went to Vietnam, fought and returned basically in one piece(?). Frank said he told them he was old enough now to go to the Recruiters and join the Army to fight in Vietnam.

Frank's friends just returned from the war, made it clear. If he even went close to joining up. They'd break both his legs …

'nuff said …

But those that did go and came back intact, or those messed up physically or mentally, the least they could have expected is to be respected, not abused, back home for their service and appropriately rewarded by a grateful government.

UK is not much better with our ex-service personnel…slightly actually…slightly.

Yes, I agree. They should have been treated much, much better. However, today US Vets are treated pretty well. It started after the 1st Gulf War. And has gotten better ever since.

On Veteran's Day 11 Nov., many places offer Vets and current military members a free meal, donuts, etc. They make a pretty big deal about. It's pretty nice.

Even if I'm wearing a baseball cap with my unit(s) insignia on it, which are pretty popular with Vets in the US the passed few years. Strangers will come up to me/us and thank us for our service, shake your hand, etc.

Very, very, nice, considering when I started ROTC in 1975, shortly after the Vietnam War. If we were in any kind of uniform people would give us the Hitler Salutes, the Finger, call us names, etc.

Things certainly have changed for the better.

That is so good to know. In the UK, folk tend to blame politicians, not soldiers, for wars we did not obviously win (never mind the ethics…that seems to be what matters…that we won and quickly is what the electorate wants).

This country always had huge respect for its veterans…not sure that always translated into actually looking after the alcoholic guy begging in the street in York.

My earlier message went all wrong due to cut and paste from Word…but it could have also related to a long night with the three sons and extended family. I keep re-reading that trying to make sense of it. I know what I meant to say…it was a really good night though.

Yes, Veteran's Day is pretty good here now …