Soldiers who perished on secret mission are memorialized
Families of more than 20 fallen soldiers attended the unveiling of a memorial Saturday.
EDITORS NOTE: The above video is from a relared story.
Families who’ve fought for recognition for soldiers who died while traveling to Vietnam for a secret mission almost 60 years ago have something to celebrate.
Today, the families of more than 20 fallen soldiers attended the unveiling of a memorial in Maine. About, 93 U.S. soldiers, three South Vietnamese and 11 crew members were on a chartered flight that disappeared between Guam and the Philippines in 1962.
Chapter Subtitle here
Dianna Taylor Crumpler, whose brother, James Henry Taylor, an Army chaplain, died on the flight described her heartache and frustration to the Associated Press: "It’s almost as if they never existed as soldiers. It’s almost like they don’t matter, that their deaths don’t matter,” she said.
After all these years, it's been a heavy burden to carry for the families of the fallen soldiers, who were not properly memorialized like others who died in the war. According to the AP, the soldiers' names were not allowed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington because they did not die in a combat zone.
"In Maine, the founder of Wreaths Across America, which places wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and at veteran gravesites around the world, was moved by the story and decided to create a monument. The granite stone has a marble marker with the names on it," according to the AP. It was built by a private organization in Columbia Falls, Maine.
Susie Linale, of Nebraska, said she hopes the memorial brings some closure..