Academy grad lost over Laos in '72
Maj. John Carroll was a member of the academy's first graduating class. His remains were found earlier this year near where his plane crashed.
By Kieran Nicholson
The Denver Post
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY Ñ Finally, after more than 35 years, Maj. John L. Carroll is home.
Carroll, an Air Force pilot, was shot down by enemy fire on Nov. 7, 1972, during a mission over Xiangkhoang province, Laos.
Earlier this year, Carroll's remains were found near the crash site. He was buried Tuesday, with full military honors, next to his wife at the Academy Cemetery.
Those at the service included his children and grandchildren.
"Today has been a day that is long awaited," said the Rev. Joseph Deichert during a Mass and celebration of life at the academy's Cadet Catholic Chapel. "This day we can put closure to this and say he does rest in peace and he is home."
Carroll graduated from the academy in 1962, the school's first graduating class.
In 1972, during the Vietnam War, Carroll volunteered to fly O-1 "Bird Dogs" for the Ravens, a covert, clandestine group of pilots who flew military missions.
He was shot down and killed.
Mike Butchko was Carroll's roommate at the academy and his best friend.
"We were so close, we could communicate without even talking," Butchko said.
He described Carroll as a natural athlete and gifted scholar, someone who achieved all of his pursuits.
After graduating, the best friends were neighbors when they were both assigned to Edwards Air Force Base in California.
When Carroll was shot down, Butchko told the downed pilot's two children, Mike and Julie, that he was dead.
"I sat the two children down and put my arms around them and told them their dad wasn't coming home," Butchko recalled. "It was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life."
Between 1993 and 2007, an investigation led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, with the cooperation of the Laos and Vietnam governments, helped locate the crash site and recover Carroll's remains, which have been positively identified.
During the graveside service, about a dozen American flags flew stiffly in a strong wind. The cemetery's flag flew at half-staff.
A 21-gun salute was followed by a bugler's taps, and a C-17 aircraft flew overhead.
As the plane approached above the horizon, a U.S. Air Force officer offered a final salute:
"Blue skies and tail winds, sir."
Now Carroll will rest next to his wife, Beverly, who died in August 1995.
"John and Beverly get to rest side-by-side," Deichert said. "It's good for us to see that."