188th flyover honors American hero during repatriation ceremony

By 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

A four-ship of A-10C Thunderbolt II "Warthogs" with the Arkansas Air National Guard's 188th Fighter Wing perform a missing man formation during a flyover to honor Capt. Virgil Meroney III during a repatriation ceremony held in Fayetteville, Ark., June 9, 2012. Meroney was missing in action during the Vietnam War after being shot down in his F-4D Phantom II aircraft, which crashed while carrying out a nighttime strike mission in Kahammouan Province, Laos. Meroney's remains were identified May 24 and were returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Col. Mark Anderson, 188th Fighter Wing commander; Lt. Col. Brian Burger, 188th Operations Group commander; Maj. Justin Lewis; and Capt. Mark Cox performed the flyover. (National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Hannah Landeros/188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res

6/19/2012 - FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The 188th Fighter Wing conducted a four-ship flyover and performed a missing man formation to honor Capt. Virgil Meroney III during a repatriation ceremony held in Fayetteville, Ark., June 9, 2012. Meroney was missing in action during the Vietnam War after being shot down March 1, 1969, in his F-4D Phantom II aircraft, which crashed while carrying out a nighttime strike mission in Kahammouan Province, Laos.

Nearby U.S. aircrews reported seeing Meroney's aircraft hit by enemy fire. No parachutes were seen after the aircraft was hit. Heavy enemy presence in the area prevented recovery efforts.

Meroney's remains were identified May 24 and were returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Meroney was a native of Fayetteville.

Col. Mark Anderson, 188th Fighter Wing commander; Lt. Col. Brian Burger, 188th Operations Group commander; Maj. Justin Lewis; and Capt. Mark Cox performed the flyover. The Little Rock Air Force Base Honor Guard also performed at the event.

Anderson presented a Unites States flag to the Meroney family June 10, 2012, in Fort Smith, Ark. The flag was flown over Afghanistan during the 188th's last combat deployment to Kandahar in 2010 and was also flown over Meroney's repatriation ceremony in Fayetteville.

Source (7 pictures included)

A-10C Thunderbolt II "Warthogs" with the Arkansas Air National Guard's 188th Fighter Wing perform a missing man formation during a flyover to honor Capt. Virgil Meroney III during a repatriation ceremony held in Fayetteville, Ark., June 9, 2012. (National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Hannah Landeros/188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Hi-res

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