A Spartanburg family's 44-year wait for answers is finally over.
Remains found at a crash site in south central Vietnam have been positively identified as that of Army Spc. Thomas Rice, Jr.
"It was a sigh of relief there for a moment," said Faye Smith, Rice's youngest sister. "It was a relief of joy because I know he's not in a prisoner of war camp."
She was ten when her brother's Huey helicopter disappeared in December 1965. A year later, Rice was officially declared "killed in action". But Smith says she and her mother always wondered if he was still alive, possibly suffering as a prisoner of war. Her mother passed away in 1995.
"During that time, she never gave up hope," said Smith. "She always felt like he was still alive."
But in March of this year, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) uncovered a crash site thought to be that of Rice's chopper. Smith says dental remains found at the site were used to make a positive identification. The remains of three other soldiers who were on board the helicopter with him were also identified. Smith got the official word last week when she travelled to Washington D.C. for the annual meeting of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia (click this link for information on how to get involved in efforts to find/recover POW/MIA service members).
"It felt good in a sense to have that closure, to know it's over," said Smith.
She said her brother's daughter, who was 3-months old when he disappeared and lives in Washington, now has custody of his remains. She said they will eventually be brought back to Lincoln Memorial Gardens in Spartanburg where Rice has a headstone. But before that happens, the military will hold a service for Rice and the three other soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. No date has been set.
To see Chris Cato's interview with Smith and photos of Thomas Rice, click on the video tab above.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement