A group of A-10 Thunderbolt IIs assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron (CTS) and 66th Weapons Squadron (WPS) flew on June 21 to honor 2nd Lt. James Lord with a memorial flyover of Ohio.
Lord was a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot assigned to the 66th Fighter Squadron, which is now the 66th WPS of the US Air Force Weapons School.
"It is a great honor to conduct this flyby for World War II pilot Lieutenant Lord and to be able to do this for his family and the entire city.”, said Lieutenant Colonel James Kappes, director of operations for the 6th CTS. “He paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.”
Lorde's plane crashed on 10 August 1944 while engaging with the enemy off the coast of Anghione in Corsica.
Lord had been on the POW/MIA list for over 70 years until his remains were found in the summer of 2018.
During World War II, more than 400.000 of the 16 million Americans who served in the war were classified as MIA, and 72.766 remain missing.
The popular saying of the armed forces “Gone but not forgotten” it's not just a phrase, but a military mindset shared every day.
Leading the over to Lord's Memorial, of the armed services show how America honors the missing and fallen by recognizing their service and sacrifices on behalf of our country and keeping them in our memory.
Source: US Airforce
