SAN DIEGO — A U.S. Army soldier from California will finally be laid to rest after more than five decades.
CBS 8 reporter Ariana Cohen interviewed one of U.S. Army PFC Thomas Green’s older brothers, Michael Green, who lives in Spokane, Washington.
The brothers grew up in Ramona, California, and served in the army at the same time. Michael says it’s a mix of emotions that his brother Thomas will finally be laid to rest.
"Good and sad. Sad because of what it is and great because he’s going to be home. Finally. It's just sad we had to wait 51 years for it," said Michael.
51 years of unanswered questions have finally been answered.
In 1971, Thomas Green served as the door gunner on a CH-47B Chinook helicopter when it went down on October 26th during bad weather while flying from Tuy Hoa to Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam.
Thomas was just 19 years old.
The remains of four of the 10 soldiers on board were recovered. However, Thomas was unaccounted for.
Jim Bell, Identification Manager for the U.S. Army says the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and other agencies had 16 searches for Thomas. They searched for him in 1970s and again from 1994 to 2021. It wasn’t until August last year that scientists identified his remains.
"It's really sad my Mom and Dad aren’t here to see it. It's very, very important now we know some of his remains will be here on American soil and be home. We're going to put him in the same grave spot as our mom," said his brother Michael as he cried.
Thomas will be buried on February 23rd in Ramona with full military honors. The public is welcome to attend.