World War II B-24 Pilot Laid To Rest
The Tribune Review reports the remains of Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Eugene P. Ford were interred Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Also interred were ashes of Vietnam veteran Richard Stanton Ford, the son the pilot never met.
The 21-year-old Ford, of Latrobe, PA, was the pilot of a B-24J aircraft known as the Tulsamerican.
On Dec. 17, 1944, the Tulsamerican was the lead aircraft targeting oil refineries in Germany when it came under attack and was forced to crash in the Adriatic Sea.
The Military Times link is here: https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/12/05/wwii-pilots-remains-interred-at-arlington-along-with-sons/
Category: Arlington National Cemetary, No Longer Missing
Welcome home Warrior. Rest easy with your boy in your home soil. Our apologies that it took so long.
Just wow. Very good post Ex-PH2, and much thanks for the added links.
Hand Salute to both of these Warriors and their Service.
Thanks to the Daughter and Thanks to the Arlington Admin for making this happen.
‘Very good post Ex-PH2, and much thanks for the added links.’
x2 here. Well spoken.
Thursdays aren’t *always* for cooking. Posts like PH2’s here are always welcome… 😉
The touching Video Interview with Ford’s only surviving child, 74-year-old Norma Ford Beard, who traveled from her home near Indianapolis to attend the ceremony in Arlington. Clips from his funeral at Arlington are shown as well:
“Long Lost WWII Pilot From Derry Finally Buried In Arlington National Cemetery”:
https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/14368637-74/long-lost-wwii-pilot-from-derry-finally-buried-in-arlington-national-cemetery
Salute to LT Eugene P. Ford who is finally home. A Salute to his Son, Richard, who served in Vietnam. And a Salute to his Daughter, Norma.
Family. The strong bond that ties us together.
Bring Them All Home.
I like the timing of this piece here, and I’ll tell you why. Today, I watched the great and solemn ceremony for George Herbert Walker Bush as his casket moved slowly down the steps of the capital and was gently placed into a hearse for his final return to Texas. I take nothing away from the honor he richly deserved. Not far from the ceremony, two other Veterans were laid to rest. These were the Ford men, one a WW II Veteran, whose remains were lost for decades, and the other a Vietnam Veteran who died in 2008. They are now joined for the first time and forever at Arlington. If George Herbert Walker Bush were able to, I have no doubt that he would say, “Please pay attention to the Ford men, too. This is far too much for just me. And those men are no less deserving of your respect.”
In 2011 when Bush was briefed on what his funeral would look like he is rumored to have asked, “All of that? Do you really think anyone will come?”
So yeah I would agree his assessment would not be far off from yours. Whether you liked Bush senior or didn’t there was a graceful humility about that man that many, many people have since commented on. He was not a man seeking the limelight, even if he did end up there.
Fair winds and following seas, LT Ford.
I am humbled by the sacrifice of men and women such as this.
Rest in well-deserved peace.
I’m certain that H.W. Bush would rather that just as many people attended the Ford burial today as his…
You can’t buy class, like H.W. Bush, Melania, Barbara, Senator Bob Dole, G.W. Bush and his beautiful wife have.
Thank you Mr President, RIP, a grateful nation thanks and Salutes you.
Rest in Peace, Father and Son.