I consider myself a huge history buff. This started at an early age and has grown throughout my 18 year career in the United States Air Force. As you can imagine, military history has captivated me during this time. A couple of days ago, I came across the story of a Southwest Airlines pilot who lost his dad over 50 years ago in the Vietnam War.
This beautiful story brought me to tears…
According to the Washington Post, Bryan Knight was 5 years old when he waved goodbye to his father, Roy Knight Jr., at Dallas Love Field in January 1967. Roy, an Air Force pilot, was headed off to fight in the Vietnam War. A few short months later, Roy went down with his airplane in Laos. The family did not learn of his fate for seven years, Roy had been killed.
After more than 50 years, Col. Knight’s remains were found near his airplane and flown to Hawaii for identification. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Service confirmed the remains to be those of the missing pilot. Col. Knight was then flow from Honolulu to Oakland and then from Oakland to Dallas.
The Oakland to Dallas flight was piloted by Col. Knight’s son, Bryan. Bryan shared his thoughts with Southwest in the following video:
Final Word
This is truly remarkable. I would like to close to by thanking Col. Knight for his service to this nation. We are forever indebted to you and the many others who have come before us. The family showed tremendous resilience during the five decades since their father, husband, and son went missing. I am happy you all have finally received the closure you so greatly deserved.
