Honor Ride for Returning Soldier
1st Lt. Alva Ray Krogman’s aircraft was shot down during the Vietnam War in Laos in 1967. (courtesy photo)
A soldier who has been missing in action for the past 54 years has been found and will pass through Billings on his way home to Worland, Wyoming. Veterans and patriots throughout the region are arranging to give him an honor ride from Billings through Big Horn County to Bryant Funeral Home in Worland, Wyoming, on Monday July 19.
1st Lt. Alva Ray Krogman’s aircraft was shot down during the Vietnam War in Laos on January 17, 1967, on a reconnaissance mission. His remains could not be recovered at the time.
On July 7, 2020, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of First Lieutenant Alva Ray Krogman, after they had been recovered on February 14, 2019, by a Scientific Recovery Expert working at 1st Lt Krogman’s crash site in Ban Kok Mak, Laos. In 2019, DPAA received these remains and subsequently conducted recovery efforts at the crash site, yielding additional remains and material.
First Lieutenant Krogman joined the U.S. Air Force from Wyoming and was a member of the 504th Tactical Air Support Squadron. On January 17, 1967, while on temporary duty with the 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron, he took off from Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base in an 0-1F Bird Dog (tail number 52-2789, call sign “Nail 48”) on a visual reconnaissance mission over Savannakhet Province, Laos. 1st Lt Krogman’s aircraft was struck by enemy fire and crashed in the target area. His remains were found still in his aircraft.
First Lieutenant Krogman is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
His remains are expected to arrive in Billings on Delta Airlines at 12:51 pm at Logan International Airport.
The public is welcome to show their respect by joining the honor ride to line the streets, ride part of the way or round trip to Worland. A full military honor service will be held for 1st Lt. Alva Ray Krogman on Wednesday, July 21, at the Middle School Auditorium in Worland, at 11 am, followed by a procession to Riverview Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Get details on the facebook page of the BryantFuneralHome or call 307 347-9890.
