Skywagon 24 April 1970

Cross, James Emory
Air Force Captain

James Emory Cross, age 25, from Warren, Ohio, Trumbull county. Their last known residence was in Warren.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, April 24, 1970
Death details: On September 11, 2008, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Captain James Emory Cross, missing from the Vietnam War.
Captain Cross entered the U.S. Air Force from Ohio and served with 56th Special Operations Squadron. On April 24, 1970, he piloted a U-17B Skywagon as one of two crew members that took off from Udorn Airfield, Thailand, on an orientation flight mission over Xiangkhoang Province, Laos. The aircraft was struck by enemy ground fire over the Plain of Jars which caused it to crash and explode, killing Capt Cross. His remains could not be recovered at the time. Between 2004 and 2008, the crash site was located and excavated, recovering human remains and other material. Modern forensic techniques were eventually able to identify Capt Cross among the remains recovered. 

Cemetery: Buried at Crown Hill Burial Park in Vienna, Ohio. Memorialized at Arlington National

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com

Reese, Gomer David III
Air Force Captain

Gomer David III Reese, age 27, from Scarsdale, New York, Westchester county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, April 24, 1970
Death details: On September 15, 2008, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Captain Gomer David Reese III, missing from the Vietnam War. Captain Reese entered the U.S. Air Force from Ohio and served with 56th Special Operations Squadron. On April 24, 1970, he was the copilot aboard a U-17B Skywagon carrying one other crew member that took off from Udorn Airfield, Thailand, on an orientation flight mission over Xiangkhoang Province, Laos. The aircraft was struck by enemy ground fire over the Plain of Jars, causing it to crash and explode, killing Capt Reese. His remains could not be recovered immediately following his loss. Between 2004 and 2008, excavations were carried out and recovered human remains and other evidence. Eventually, modern forensic techniques were able to identify Capt Reese among the remains recovered.

Source: National Archives, Reporter Dispatch (1970), Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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