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HASLETT – On March 16, 1962, 93 U.S. Army soldiers and 11 crew members aboard Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 went missing over the Pacific Ocean during the early years of the Vietnam War.
What happened to Flight 739 and its exact mission are still unknown and that uncertainty has barred the men from recognition on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
But 59 years after Flight 739 disappeared, a granite monument erected on balsam fir tip land in Columbia Falls, Maine, gave them overdue recognition.
Sgt. Melvin Lewis Hatt, an Army Ranger from Lansing, was among the soldiers on the flight. His daughter, Donna Ellis Cornell, drove from Haslett to Columbia Falls at the invitation of Wreaths Across America for the May 15 unveiling.
Missing Aircraft Mysteries: From Flying Tiger Flight 739 To Malaysia MH370, Still No Answers forbes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forbes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
On March 16, 1962, Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 was on a secret mission, but disappeared. On board were 93 United States Army soldiers and 11 civilian crew members. Very little is known about what happened to the plane and its passengers, and due to the circumstance surrounding this mission, the names of those lost have not yet been added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. However, today many families and loved ones of these heroes gathered in Columbia Falls, Maine, where national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) is based, to be present for the unveiling of a new monument dedicated to their service and sacrifice.
/PRNewswire/ On March 16, 1962, Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 was on a secret mission, but disappeared. On board were 93 United States Army soldiers and 11.