12 Nov 2002 A salute to Capt. George Flynn, my good friend and Deputy Wing Commander in AFROTC at LSU. We graduated together in May 1959. He was an assertive officer who set his goals high, and didn't let much of anything get in the way. He was gung-ho in the best sense of that phrase, and earned an engineering degree. He loved life at LSU, and his flamboyant personality made him known to a lot of people. He is one of my heroes. While I don't know the details of his final mission, I can imagine him volunteering to go "put away the enemy," no matter how dangerous the flight. George, you've "slipped the surly bonds of earth ..topped the windswept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind you've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space Put out your hand, and touched the face of God." A friend from LSU, George H. Walther, Sr. LtCol, USAF (Ret) afa_prof@msn.com

 

22 Jul 2005 When I was a young Air Force captain stationed at McClellan AFB, California, I had the honor of escorting Captain Flynn's remains back home to Louisiana. I know Captain Flynn served the nation well and died doing that duty. As I remember, his father had just passed away two weeks prior to the repatriation of his remains, so it was difficult for the family at best. But at least they had resolution of what had happened and were able to obtain some peace about the circumstance. I have always wanted to be able to know Captain Flynn because I'm sure I would have liked and admired him. His family was wonderful and treated me with respect and kindness at a time that was very difficult for them. I'm very proud that I was able to play even a small role in supporting Captain Flynn's return home. From a fellow Air Force officer, John V. Bauman Colonel USAF (Retired) 292 Elm Avenue, Glendale, Mo 63122 jack.bauman@boeing.com

 

11 Jul 2006 Captain George Edward Flynn III According to Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Report, Capt. Flynn's remains were returned on June 5, 1974 and a positive ID confirmed on January 13, 1976. MAY GOD BLESS CAPTAIN FLYNN AND HIS FAMILY Semper Fi From a New Orleans neighborhood friend, W. J. (Jerry) Speer New Orleans wjspeer@charter.net

 

13 Dec 2006 A-1 Skyraider Class "Express-01", Hurburt Field, Florida, Back row: Capt A. C. Markl, Capt R. A. Campbell, 1Lt George E. Flynn III, Capt Walter L. Dixon, Capt M. C. Heath, Capt Morgan C. Pummill Front row: Capt Clyde Evans (IP), Col Heinie Aderholt, Capt Walter G. Harris, Maj Eugene Lancaster, Capt William Y. Duggan Photo courtesy of the Skyraider Organization. Sent by Dennis Lewis, Air Commando 1962-1965 Captain William Duggan, pictured above, was shot down on 10 Feb 1965, was recovered, and completed his tour. He returned to Vietnam flying F-4 Phantoms with the 497th Tac Ftr Sqdn, Ubon RTAFB, Thailand. Major Duggan and Captain Frederick J. Sutter were shot down over Laos on 31 Dec 1971. He was carried as Missing in Action until 19 Nov 1973, when he was declared dead. His remains have not been repatriated.

 

07 May 2007 George Flynn and I were in the same Air Force ROTC Squadron our freshman year at LSU. George carried the squadron banner during parades, was a gung ho cadet, a great touch football player and loved to party. His passion was to be an Air Force pilot. Our squadron sergeant was Martin Dean Martin who also made a career of the Air Force. George was a good friend. Charles R. Comeaux chuckc_1@comcast.net

 

Notes from The Virtual Wall On 23 Sep 1964 two A-1E SKYRAIDERS were shot down while defending a government outpost south of the Mekong River delta. Both aircraft were from the 1st Air Commando Squadron and each carried one American and one South Vietnamese crewman. It was a night attack and the aircraft were making low-level napalm runs against the enemy force. Flares being used to illuminate the area allowed the VC gunners to see the A-1s silhouetted against the sky. The two aircraft were Tail number 52-132656, flown by Captain W. H. May. May was rescued by a US Army helicopter from the 57th Med Det, but his Vietnamese copilot was captured. Tail number 52-132441, flown by 1st Lt G. E. Flynn. Flynn was killed in the crash and his Vietnamese copilot captured. There is one oddity in Captain Flynn's casualty record - it is coded as "A4", died in captivity. No other available information indicates that he was captured, died in captivity, and then was repatriated. Mr. Speer's comments above regarding the recovery of Captain Flynn's remains are entirely correct. The DoD/PMSEA database (and the applicable The Virtual Wall pages) reflect the recovery and identification of remains on the dates stated. However, the DoD/PMSEA database does not reflect a "died in captivity" status. It should be noted that the DoD/PMSEA database as it exists today dates from the late 1980s ... and the baseline PMSEA database was reconstructed from DIA files then available. It certainly is possible that a "died in captivity" flag was deleted somewhere along the line. Hobson's authoritative Vietnam Air Losses specifically states that Captain May was recovered, Captain Flynn was killed, and the two Vietnamese copilots were captured in the incident. The POW Network biography contains very little useful information, but it does contain the comment that "some records indicate 24 Sept 65" as the date of loss. During the Vietnam War, MIA cases were reviewed on an annual basis. If the review board recommended a presumptive finding of death and the finding was approved by the Service Secretary, a legal date of death was established. The POW Network's comment implies that the first annual review of Captain Flynn's loss resulted in a Presumptive Finding of Death - a year and a day after the actual loss. There were a number of similar cases in Vietnam - someone went MIA (most commonly in an aircraft incident), a PFoD was issued, the wreckage and the remains were later found, and the PFoD date was replaced in the records with the actual date of death. The POW Network comment is the only known evidence that Captain Flynn was carried as MIA for any significant period of time ... and it does not address the "died in captivity" casualty coding.

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