The remains of a Vietnam veteran will arrive at Billings Logan International Airport on Monday afternoon, with a motorcade escorting the fallen servicemember to Wyoming. Lieutenant Ray Krogman was shot down in a single-engine aircraft while serving in the US Airforce. HonorState.org says this about the incident,

On January 17, 1967, he was the pilot of a Cessna Bird Dog Observation Aircraft (O-1G) #57-2789 on a mission at a point west of the Demilitarized Zone in the extreme northern portion of Savannakhet Province, Laos, where he was shot down by hostile fire. His remains were not recovered and he was declared Missing in Action for many years.

In 2019, a Scientific Recovery Expert reported possible remains and material evidence were recovered at the crash site. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that Krogman was identified and accounted in 2020.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images
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Billings residents can pay their respects on Monday (7/19).

We received an email from the Billings Police Department this morning outlining the itinerary for the MIA serviceman's remains.

  • Delta Flight DL2392 is scheduled to land in Billings at 12:51 pm Monday. It may arrive up to 30 minutes early.
  • There will be an Honor Guard ceremony on the flight line.
  • The escorted procession is expected to leave the airport between 1:30 and 2 pm.
  • The route will leave the airport heading east on Hwy 3/Airport Road, South on Main to Expo, East at 1st North to Lockwood, then West on I90.
Photo by David McNew/Getty Images
Photo by David McNew/Getty Images
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A fallen hero's reception awaits in Worland, WY.

The Wyoming Patriot Guard will provide escort from Billings to Worland, with local police agencies joining the journey through Wyoming, according to Northern Wyoming News. Full military honors, including an Air Force flyover will be held at his gravesite.

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If you have a few minutes to spare on Monday afternoon, please consider lining up along the route with your flag or sign and show your respect to this fallen hero.

LOOK: 100 years of American military history

 

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