Missing Vietnam War Pilot Found

The remains of Air Force Maj. Russell C. Goodman, who was shot down in an F-4B over North Vietnam on Feb. 20, 1967, have been identified, Defense Department officials announced Tuesday. They will be returned to his family for burial in Alaska at a date to be determined by his family. Goodman was flying with the Navy from the USS Enterprise on an exchange program when he was lost. Navy Lt. Gary L. Thornton and he were in the F-4B on a bombing mission against a North Vietnamese railroad yard when their aircraft was struck by antiaircraft fire and exploded. While Thornton was able to eject—and was taken captive—Goodman was killed. Between 1993 and 2008, a joint US-Vietnamese team of investigators visited the crash site twice, recovering human remains and pilot equipment. Forensic identification tools led to the identification of Goodman’s remains.