In July 1969, James Sizemore and Howard Andre, Air Force pilots who’d met at Georgia Tech, were on the crew of a Douglas A-26 invader that crashed over Laos. In September 2013, they were finally laid to rest—side by side, with full military honors—at Arlington National Cemetery.
“It’s very meaningful,” Gene Sizemore, James’s brother, told NBC’s Washington, D.C. affiliate. “They flew together, they died together and they ought to be buried together.”
Their remains irretrievable from the crash site until last year, Sizemore, EE 48, and Andre, MS ME 64, were considered “missing in action” for more than four decades.
On the day of their long-delayed burial, the pair received a traditional tribute flyover—but, because of budget sequestration, the men’s families were forced to arrange for it on their own. Civilian pilots from Warrior Aviation performed the honors. Sizemore and Andre’s families are now working to raise $24,000 to offset the cost of jet fuel and enable the group to continue providing their flyover services to other fallen airmen.
Click here to watch NBC Washington’s coverage of the funeral and flyover.
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It is a disgrace that our government did not provide the appropriate honors for these two men who died in service to their country. Vietnam Veterans were not treated well when we came home and this is another insult to us.