http://www.boston.com/news/local/connectic...d_at_arlington/

40 years after death, Vietnam War airman reburied at Arlington
By Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press Writer
| October 3, 2006

ARLINGTON, Va. --Air Force Maj. John F. Conlon III's remains lay for 40 years in a shallow grave in Vietnam, placed there by villagers. On Tuesday, they were brought to Arlington National Cemetery.

During a brief ceremony, conducted beyond the earshot of reporters, a Catholic priest expressed thanks for the return, and about 60 people watched and quietly recited the Lord's Prayer. After the playing of taps, Conlon's remains were buried under the shade of a sugar maple tree.

His sister, Claire Evans, 71, placed her hand over her heart as a military escort in Air Force dress blues saluted the flag-draped casket transported in a horsedrawn carriage.

Conlon's parents and a second sister died without knowing what happened to him.

Conlon, from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., was four months into his tour in Vietnam when the observation aircraft he was on disappeared on March 4, 1966, in the Binh Dinh Province. He was 25.

Air Force Maj. Stuart M. Andrews, 37, who was flying with him, also disappeared.

For six days, the military searched for the two men before giving up.

In 2005, investigators from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command working with Vietnamese officials interviewed villagers who described the crash site. They spoke of finding and burying two American crew members, said spokesman Larry Greer.

An archaeological dig in February led to the finding of Andrews' dog tag and Conlon's remains, along with aircraft debris and other personal items. Dental records were used to confirm Conlon's identity.

There was a memorial service at Arlington for Andrews in 1978. Andrews, who was married with two children, was from Stamford, Conn., but was living in Montgomery, Ala., when he left for Vietnam.

Nearly 1,800 Americans who fought in the Vietnam War remain unaccounted for.

------

On the Net:

Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office: http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo

--------

Welcome home brother...welcome home.

Methinks stories like this demonstrate another facet of bein' part of the band of brothers.

Folks that ain't never served might not understand the bond that means we go back after those that've fallen, eh? It's a sacred trust!

The next time I'm in Arlington...
which is a pilgrimage I make every few years,
I'll stop and pay my respects...he flew to watch
for us...he died trying to keep us safe, informed.

Thank you sir...sir...respect I don't often give.

It's fun to talk politics...post on this board...
but, blood is blood...I don't care 'bout his affiliation.

Hallowed ground...made so by such burials.

Sometimes I feel like the son of such men, from shallow graves.

I am grateful that these two men finally made it home
and finally received the honor they deserved.

I'm glad he's finally home and resting among his countrymen in the shade of a sugar maple tree. And glad his sister lived long enough to see him brought home to rest.

For some reason Vietnam vets seem to ride motorcycles...
rebels I suppose...so on a MC forum I found...


http://patriotguard.org/Forums/tabid/61/po...ic/Default.aspx
LesUSA7178

22 Jun 2006 7:45 PM Alert
Welcome Home, Sir! Your journey will soon come to an end, in the most sacred of destinations, Arlington National Cemetary. Your sacrifice is appreciated, and you will not be forgotten. America will stand with you, and you will be shown the support of a grateful nation. Rest easy.

Standing by, WB is but a short ride.

Les/Aleida
USA7178
HooAH!

Just a brief side bar: There is a gentleman from the Wilkes-Barre area/ Luzerne County here in Pennsylvania, an USAF Vietnam veteran, (B-52 crew) who, for the last 20 years or so, has stood a candlelight vigil at the Luzerne County Veterans Memorial in downtown WB each Christmas Eve. He does so to honor his father and grandfather, both veterans, and his comrades from Vietnam, and because he drove by one cold Christmas Eve and thought it not right that nobody would wait for the 7 MIAs from Luzerne Cty. Now he can extinguish one candle, for a Soldier will have come home...

He rides with Rolling Thunder, but I have been informed that he chooses not to wear the Vietnam Service ribbon as part of his colors, as he flew over the country many times, but never boots on the ground. That is a hard choice to make, as I'm sure he knows brothers who did not
come home....he has my respect.

----------------------------

This sh*t never ends...but it's better with every brother who returns...funny how life stays connected...I worried about those in DaNang when the typhoon went through recently...it's still our ground. Both the Vietnamese and Americans who bled there.

Thank y'all for responding...love will find a way...
thank God I can can still cry...like a baby...for brothers...
and I do..I am...

I saw on the ABC evening news just last week a doughboy from the first world war came home finally. After almost 88 years lying in a foreign field, the Army gave him a funeral at Arlington with full military honors. We never forget.