Finding the Unknown Crew

Monday, October 25, 2021 at 02:26 PM ET

Verified

The C-141B, serial number 65-0245, stands sentinel at the boneyard, from the flight carrying the Vietnam Unknown from Travis Air Force Base in California, to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on May 25, 1984. Courtesy: Mark Miller

Key Takeaways:

This Veterans Day, November 11, marks the 100th anniversary of the first burial at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
To commemorate this milestone and preserve history, the Society of the Honor Guard is actively searching for specific aircrew members.
The search targets crews who transported unknown soldiers from the Pacific theater in World War II (a 1958 C-124 flight) and Vietnam (a 1984 C-141B flight).
The public is encouraged to share any related stories or information to markmiller@tombguard.org to help illuminate these vital historical chapters.

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At Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honors those lost in action without a name.

This Veterans Day—November 11—will mark 100 years since the first burial there from World War I.

Because the smallest details shed light on the past, the Society of the Honor Guard for the TUS is searching for the crewmembers that transported unknown soldiers from the Pacific theater in World War II and Vietnam: the pilots that flew from Clark Air Base in the Philippines on a C-124 to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii between April 27 and 29, 1958, and the crew of the C-141B from Travis Air Force Base in California to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on May 25, 1984, including chief pilot Capt. Patrick Basset.

The four candidates from the Philippines were transported on a Douglas C-124 from Clark Air Base in the Philippines to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii between April 27 and April 29, 1958. U.S. Air Force

More links to the past are coming to light from FLYING’s inclusion of this call to action in the November issue.

If any more of their stories can be found before the anniversary, a small but vital chapter in their histories may be preserved. Know any stories? Email: markmiller@tombguard.org.