May 14, 2021, midnight ·
A Flying Tiger Line Super Constellation airplane similiar to one that disappeared in 1962. (Photo courtesy of Wreaths Across America)
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It’s been almost six decades since a military charter flight carrying 93 highly trained soldiers disappeared over the Pacific Ocean between Guam and the Philippines. Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 was never found, but the families of those aboard, including one from Nebraska, will get some closure Saturday in the form of a unique memorial in the woods of Maine.
There is a Nebraska connection, but first some background on Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 and the mystery that still surrounds it almost 60 years later.
PORTLAND, MAINE Nearly 60 years ago, dozens of soldiers assembled for a top secret mission to Vietnam, three years before President Lyndon Johnson officially sent U.S. combat troops to the country. They never made it. Their airplane disappeared between Guam and the Philippines, leaving behind no trace. Ever since, their families have been fighting to get answers about the mission from the Pentagon. They also want their loved ones to be recognized on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. For the families, it s been heart-wrenching that the soldiers were not properly memorialized like others who died in the war.
Nearly 60 years ago, dozens of soldiers assembled for a top secret mission to Vietnam, three years before President Lyndon Johnson officially sent U.S. combat.
Soldiers who died on secret mission are memorialized in Maine
Their families attend the unveiling of a memorial in Columbia Falls to honor those who died when the plane they were on disappeared over the Pacific while en route to Vietnam in 1962.
By DAVID SHARPAssociated Press
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John Williams of Peru, Ind., left, and his sisters, Maria McCauley of Branson, Mo., center, and Susie Linale, of Omaha, Neb., pose Saturday in Columbia Falls at a monument to honor the military passengers of Flying Tiger Line Flight 739. Their father, Sgt. 1st Class Albert Williams Jr., was among those killed on the secret mission to Vietnam in 1962.