Lost WWII Pilot's Long Journey to End April 8

The Pilot ^ | 4-2-2006 | JOHN CHAPPELL

[Cagey]

This story was sent to me by a man who served with this Pilot.

[Cagey]

Laraine Beal of Sanford never expected to have a part in the identifi­cation of the remains of her great uncle, Second Lt. Robert Hoyle Upchurch, whose pictures she holds. The young Flying Tiger pilot died in 1944 when his plan crashed in China following a dogfight with a Japanese plane. He was listed as missing in action for 62 years, until the Army found his remains and identified them by matching their DNA with DNA from Beal and her sister, Karan Lake, of Carthage.

[Cagey]

Second Lt. Robert Hoyle Upchurch was a member of the Flying Tigers, who helped defend free China against the Japanese during World War II. The young pilot flew a P-40, such as this one. The men shown were other airmen stationed at the Kumming, China, air base with Upchurch. .........Family Photo

[NormsRevenge]

Welcome home, 2nd Lt. Upchurch
RIP

[SandRat]

May he rest in peace. Hope Phred Phelps' wackos don't show up to protest.

[radar101]

THANK YOU for posting this.

[Cagey]

Here's a tribute to this man.

http://community.webtv.net/China4345/RememberingShared

There are still some in China that haven't forgotten that America helped them during their greatest crisis.

[Snoopers-868th]

I presume this was the work of some (not the government) who have done everything they can to find missing military from the past. So glad they are out there working for the families. Thank you whoever it was. Families need to know what happened to their loved ones.

[Snoopers-868th]

In May 2005 the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command solved the mystery of what happend to Lt.Upchurch. A team from the command dug up his remains and identified him through DNA samples obtained from his family. The remains have been transported back to High Falls,NC a small community near Carthage in Moore County for a formal military burial with a Fly-By performed by the present day members of the 74th Fighter Squadron. Thanks to one Mr.Huang a Chinese that was a young boy at the time of the crash and the rest of the viallagers that took care of the grave site these last sixty odd years Lt. Robert Hoyle Upchuch is ~HOME AT LAST~

So it was the government. I take that statement back. Sorry.

[Cagey]

Actually, it was our government.

From another article:

"Little known to most Americans, the Army operates a search and recovery program for the remains of military members missing in action, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.
"

It was this group who recovered his remains home.

[Snoopers-868th]

See post #9. I saw my mistake because of the link someone posted. So I have hoof and mouth disease.

[American Quilter]

Some 60 years later, last May, remains of an American pilot were discovered in a Chinese cemetery. The unknown pilot had been buried with full honors beneath a cross whose Chinese characters identified him only as “American pilot.” Villagers, hearing of the crash, had trekked over mountain paths to bring back the body for a funeral and burial. One 79-year-old man remembered it all, though he had been a boy at the time.

What a heartwarming story. Bless those Chinese villagers, and welcome home, Lt Upchurch.

[wolficatZ]

Free movie: 14th AAF in China (40 min)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1835435072057474675&q=air+force+duration%3Along&pl=true

[oldenuff2no]

welcome home, job well done

[DJ Taylor]

ping

[radar101]

Thanks Again!

[Cagey]

Thank you very much and I book-marked it and I'll watch it later on.

The fellow who sent me the story has WEB/TV so I'm not sure he can view it. I hope he can.

[wolficatZ]

I think you would need broadband and macromedia flash installed to watch it.

I got to check it out last night, had never seen this film before, was well done. I would like to get a higher quality version for my documentary collection.

[Iris7]

I ran across this idea on a blog today.

The United States Government is divided into two branches (not three). One branch is the State Department ("American" Leftist Liberals) and the other is the Defense Department (all those of us who are not Leftist Liberals).

Boy, those people must just HATE Secretary Rice!

There are exceptions, Ambassador Joshua Bolten comes to mind, and the infamous John Walker.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/spies/walker/1.html

[U S Army EOD]

We got many Freepers that live near this Phelps guy?