An entire air terminal in Dallas went completely silent Thursday when a Southwest pilot finally was able to bring home his father who went missing in action during the Vietnam War.
Captain Bryan Knight was the pilot who flew the remains of Col. Roy Abner Knight Jr. home from Vietnam 52 years after he was declared MIA — his plane was shot down while on a combat mission over the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos in 1967, according to the Washington Examiner.
WATCH:
The American airmen was initially listed as Missing In Action. But seven years later his designation was changed to Killed In Action.
In February of this year, Knight Jr.’s remains were discovered and then identified by personnel designated to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. (RELATED: Video Of A Police Dog Visiting His Wounded Partner In The Hospital Is The Best Thing You’ll See Today)
A reporter for Canada’s Global News, Jason Proskow, was at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport when the flag draped casket was carried off the plane with military honors and shared the details on Twitter. (RELATED: Canine Partner Of Murdered Officer Will Retire, Live With His Widow And Son)
“I’m at the airport in Dallas, waiting for my flight home to DC from El Paso, and something incredible is happening,” Proskow tweeted.
Incredible moment to watch. The entire airport fell silent. pic.twitter.com/TGp1X736R7
— Jackson Proskow (@JProskowGlobal) August 8, 2019
“Our incoming plane is carrying the remains of an American pilot shot down over Vietnam in 1967,” he added. “His remains were only recently recovered and identified and brought back to the US.
Our incoming plane is carrying the remains of an American pilot shot down over Vietnam in 1967. His remains were only recently recovered and identified and brought back to the US.
— Jackson Proskow (@JProskowGlobal) August 8, 2019
As we wait at the gate, we’re told that Captain Knight is coming home to Dallas. When he left from this very airport to fight in Vietnam his 5 year old son came to the airfield and waved goodbye. It was the last time he would see his father alive.
— Jackson Proskow (@JProskowGlobal) August 8, 2019
According to the report:
Knight’s obituary states that he flew combat missions nearly every day until he was shot down in 1967. He was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, and six Air Medals for his service.
The reporter said that it was a very emotional moment for everyone, as he described the terminal going silent, with some even bursting into tears.