Rayong — The United States repatriated recovered osseous material from the probable crash site of a United States aircraft lost over Lampang Province, 78 years ago during World War Two. The U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), which led the excavation mission, hopes that the recovered material and aircraft wreckage will lead to the positive identification of a missing U.S. Service Member, and ultimately provide closure to the family. The recovered material will be transported back to the DPAA Laboratory in Honolulu, Hawaii for further analysis at DPAA’s state of the art facility.

The repatriation ceremony, conducted at the Utapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, was the culmination of more than 3 years of research and investigation into the circumstances of the lost aircraft and whereabouts of the pilot, and was attended by James L. Wayman, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Thailand, along with Air Chief Marshal (Retired) Sakpinit Phromthep of the Royal Thai Air Force and other members of the American Embassy and Royal Thai Government. If a positive identification is made based on the material collected, the family of the U.S. Service Member will be notified, and they will be given the opportunity to hold a funeral with full military honors.

A/DCM Wayman said: “This repatriation is symbolic of the United States’s enduring commitment to bring home all our lost service members. The success of this mission was made possible by the great cooperation and friendship between the United States and Thailand. On behalf of the United States of America and the American people, I want to express gratitude to the Royal Thai Government, and to the community and people of Baan Mae Kua in Lampang for helping us fulfill our duty and promise to the nation.”

DPAA routinely conducts investigations and recovery efforts across Asia and Europe, supporting efforts to account for more than 82,000 US Service Members who are still missing from conflicts dating back to World War Two. Throughout World War Two, U.S. aircraft of the Flying Tigers, based in southern China, flew reconnaissance and fighter sweep missions over northern Thailand to protect Thai sovereignty.

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ABOUT DPAA:

DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting of U.S. personnel from past conflicts to their families and the nation. The DPAA Laboratory is the largest and most diverse forensic skeletal identification laboratory in the world and is staffed by more than 30 anthropologists, archaeologists and forensic odontologists.

For additional information on the U.S. Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil , find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa.

For Immediate Release
March 3, 2022

Today, the U.S. government launched a joint U.S.-Thailand operation in search of an American pilot missing for more than 70 years.

The airman, along with his P-38 aircraft, are believed to have gone down near Baan Mae Kua village, in Sop Prap district of Lampang province during World War II. Nine specialists have arrived from the U.S. Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency’s Hawaii headquarters to conduct the search mission, supported by the Baan Mae Kua community. Chargé d’Affaires Michael Heath, Consul General Sean O’Neill, and Colonel Alongkot Donmoon, representing the Governor of Lampang Province visited the site to meet with the team and learn about their specific duties, while assisting in the search.

CDA Heath said: “After more than 70 years the United States is still working to bring home all of our service members. This humanitarian mission is a symbol of the great cooperation and friendship between the United States and Thailand. On behalf of the United States of America and the American people, I want to express gratitude to the local community, the local authorities, and the government of Thailand for helping us fulfill our sacred duty and promise to the nation.”

Major Brian W. Smith, the mission commander, said: “Our goal here is to give the fullest possible accounting of the incident and maintain open communication with the families of the missing. A sincere thank you to our Thai hosts for helping us bring our service members home.”

Approximately 81,600 American personnel are still unaccounted for from past conflicts. The U.S. government is committed to providing the fullest possible accounting of the missing to the nation and their families. This mission is the first significant recovery operation in Thailand since 2007. In July 2018, DPAA obtained new information regarding three missing U.S. World War II aircraft located in northern Thailand which led to further investigation of the missing aircraft reports in the area.  Each of these losses is associated with a U.S. service member who has yet to be accounted for. This mission has been made possible by extensive research conducted by both historians and volunteers from both Thailand and the United States, and incorporates information learned from eyewitness accounts.

For further information on the missing American Service Member or DPAA and its mission please refer to DPAA’s website at www.DPAA.mil.

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