Chief Warrant Officer, Andy Howes, returns to Knox today 41 years after being killed in action during the Vietnam War.
His remains were positively identified by a DNA match with family members.
He is the final member of a four-man helicopter crew to be returned for burial. After services here tomorrow, the remains will be flown to Arlington National Cemetery to his final resting place.
The remains are expected to arrive in Knox between 7:00-7:30 p.m. CT this evening. The family will be at the Indianapolis International Airport. After the casket is removed by an honor guard, an Army Chaplain will conduct a brief prayer service before the remains are placed in a coach.
The remains will be escorted by Knox by the Indiana State Police, Knox City Police and the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. Also in the procession will be a contingent of Patriotic Guard motorcyclists. Dennis Francis from the Patriot Guard commented last week that the detail is a tremendous honor.
“It’s a real honor to bring anybody home, but it’s a real honor to bring somebody home after 41 years being MIA,” said Francis.
There will be a contingent that will be at the airport and they will bring the remains to Walton.
“Walton will be part two,” added Francis. “We’ll have a bunch of people from this area staged at Walton. When the procession comes up, we’ll stop there for a second, join up and end up here in Knox and hopefully it all goes the right way. There should be a whole lot of people. This could possibly be one of the last of these to occur. It’s Starke County’s last MIA. I believe there are still over 1,500 MIAs still left, but they’re coming in few and far between to bring them home.”
You are invited to listen to WKVI throughout the day as we will be broadcasting the arrival as it proceeds to Knox.
