Remains of Colorado airman missing since 1968 during Vietnam War found in Laos and buried

Remains of missing Colorado airman found in Laos

DENVER — The remains of an Air Force officer who had been missing in action in southeast Asia during the Vietnam War have been recovered and buried.

Maj. Thomas B. Mitchell graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1963 and was among nine U.S. airmen aboard a C-130 over Laos on May 22, 1968, that lost radio contact.

The crew of another aircraft saw a large ground fire near the last known location of the cargo plane, but heavy anti-aircraft fire kept search and rescue aircraft away.

Search teams from the U.S., Vietnam and Laos found the remains and personal items after searches between 1989 and 2008.

Individually identifiable remains were returned to their families for burial. Other remains were buried last week in Arlington National Cemetery.