Airmen with the United States Air Forces Honor Guard

Airmen with the United States Air Forces Honor Guard escort the remains of Air Force Col. Roosevelt Hestle, during Hestle's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, April 13, 2018. On July 6, 1966, Hestle was a pilot assigned to the 388th Tactical Fighter Squadron, aboard the lead aircraft in a flight of four F-105s on a strike mission against surface-to-air missile sites in northern Vietnam. As they approached the target, Hestle issued a missile launch warning, and all aircraft began evasive action by diving toward the ground. As the aircraft approached the town of Thai Ngyuen, anti-aircraft began firing at them. Due to the evasive action, the other aircraft lost sight of Hestle. Crews aboard one aircraft observed a large ball rising from the ground, though no crash was observed. Contact attempts were unsuccessful and no parachutes or distress signals were seen or heard. Due to hostile conditions in the area, search and rescue attempts could not be initiated and an aerial search of the area produced no results. Based on this information, Hestle was declared missing in action. He was recently identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Hestle, 38, of Orlando, was identified through DNA and anthropological analysis on June 6, 2017. (U.S. Army photos by Sgt. 1st Class Kristen Duus, DPAA)