The remains of a Navy Pilot who has been missing since 1967 have finally been found. Maj Russell C Goodman and Lt Gary Thornton were shot down in February 1967 when the F4- Phantom that they were flying was hit by fire from an enemy jet while on a bombing mission over North Vietnam. The F-4 was launched from the USS Enterprise.
Lt Gary was able to eject from the burning jet but Maj Thornton was not able to escape from the aircraft. Lt Gary was subsequently captured by the North Vietnamese and held as a POW for about six years.
Maj Thornton’s remains were ultimately identified by his DNA and he will be laid to rest in Alaska after being honored in Nellis AFB Nevada.
We are always happy to hear about the remains of our old Vietnam warriors being returned home from that war. We are also hoping for the final accounting of all POW’s of that war. We realize that there are still many missing servicemen and unaccounted for POW’s. We also honor them through the creation of Pilot’s rings, and rings for POW/MIA’s. We send our best wishes and regards to all of their family members.
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