According to the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, there are still 1,713 U.S. servicemen still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. But the remains of one soldier whose helicopter was shot down in Vietnam War nearly 40 years ago have finally been returned to his home of Billings, Montana, according to the Associated Press.
The remains of Army 1st Lt. Paul G. Magers, which had been missing for nearly four decades, were returned in a flag-draped casket this past week as family members gathered at the Billings airport to pay their respects.
A vigil service and memorial Mass were held in Billings. Burial followed with full military honors at Yellowstone County Veterans Cemetery in Laurel.
According to AP, Magers was killed June 1, 1971, when the AH-1 Cobra helicopter he was flying in was shot down in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. He had only been deployed two weeks. Also killed in the crash was Chief Warrant Officer Donald L. Wann, of Shawnee, Okla. The men's remains were identified in March through DNA testing. On Sept. 17, the Pentagon will be organizing a National POW (prisoners of war) and MIA (missing in action) Recognition Day.
