Missing Soldier From Red Bank To Be Honored 59 Years Later

RED BANK, NJ - A U.S. Army soldier and pilot from Red Bank who went missing nearly 60 years ago in Vietnam during a military mission will be honored for his service for the first time this month.

Captain Gregory P. Thomas, who lived on a yacht docked at Marine Park, served as one of 93 U.S. Army soldiers and 11 crew members lost during a March 16, 1962 flight of the Flying Tiger Line. No explanation has been provided by the government surrounding the disappearance or the mission that was expected to be carried out in Vietnam, and the event remains to be one of the largest aviation mysteries in American history.

No trace of the plane has ever been found, and the military ruled that an in-air explosion had occurred, but never gave a reason why. Due to the incident allegedly happening outside the actual war theater, none of the victims are listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Now, over five decades later, the pilot will finally be memorialized at a monument to be unveiled on May 15 in Maine, courtesy of Wreaths Across America. The nonprofit is known for placing wreaths on veterans’ headstones at Arlington National Cemetery each year. In 2020, the organization additionally placed more than 1.7 million sponsored veterans’ wreaths at 2,557 locations nationwide.

A livestream of the ceremony will be available on the organization’s website.

“Those soldiers, your loved ones, and the crew of the aircraft deserve recognition of their service as surely as the thousands that gave their lives in Vietnam and Cambodia,” said veteran Anthony L Wahl in a statement about the tragedy. “They trusted the leaders of our country that their service was appreciated and necessary to keep the world free of communism. Their lives just like those of John, Martin and Robert should not be forgotten but honored as true American Heroes paying the ultimate sacrifice.”