It's been 80 years since World War 2; however, we continue to find remnants of that monstrous battle. Every couple of months, something from that period in human history is uncovered. Be it an unexploded bomb, some shards of machinery, or even the body of a fallen soldier.
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Recently, the remains of a World War 2 US fighter pilot were discovered in a field in Thailand.
"First Lt. Franklin McKinney, a member of the famous all-volunteer American "Flying Tigers" squadron, was last seen taking off from Beitan Airfield in Yunnan, China on Nov. 5, 1944," The New York Post reports. "Though McKinney was pronounced dead by the military in March 1946 - two years after failing to return from a dangerous assignment in November 1944, the plane wreck and his remains were never located by military authorities."
Despite the length of time that had passed since McKinney's disappearance, a dedicated team picked up the cold case in 2010. Daniel Jackson, who was a US Air Force Academy cadet at the time, led the search for the former fighter pilot. He then teamed up with Royal Thai Air Force Museum head, Sakpinit Promthep, and independent American researcher Richard Hakanson to supercharge the search.
The World War 2 Pilot Had Been Downed by Lightening
During the trio's research, they found Fong Inma, 94. She recalled the events of a recon plane being knocked out of the sky after being struck by lightning.
"Hakanson's meeting with Fong was enough for Jackson to go to Thailand to hear the accounts for himself. In 2018, he met her in person," CNN reports.
The crash occurred at a site that is now a rice field. Upon being convinced, The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency began scouring the location in 2023. Now, almost three years later, their search has come to an end. The successful mission means that McKinney can now return home to the US and receive a proper burial.
For the United States Army, its slogan of "No Man Left Behind" is more than just a saying. In this instance, they proved that they truly mean it.
