DALLAS (AP) — The remains of an Air Force pilot whose plane was shot down in 1967 during the Vietnam War have been returned to Texas by a commercial jet flown by his son.
The remains of 36-year-old Col. Roy Knight Jr. of Millsap arrived Thursday at Dallas Love Field. Southwest Airlines Capt. Bryan Knight flew the plane transporting the flag-draped casket.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Roy Knight, whose remains were accounted for in June, will be buried Saturday in Weatherford. That’s 50 miles (80.46 kilometers) west of Dallas.
Knight in May 1967 was with the 602nd Tactical Fighter Squadron and leading a strike mission in Laos when his plane was shot down.
Military officials say the crash site was searched several times since the 1990s. Searches this year led to remains linked to Knight.
Photo: In this undated photo provided by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency shows Air Force Col. Roy A. Knight, Jr., of Millsap, Texas. On Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, the remains of the pilot whose plane was shot down in 1967 during the Vietnam War have been returned to Texas by a commercial jet flown by his son. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency via AP)