With Memorial Day recently, one local family is finally able to honor their lost veteran.
That's how long it's been since a C-124 Globemaster Air Force plane went down -- en route to Alaska -- carrying 19-year-old Airman Second-Class Thomas Condon and 51 other souls serving during the Korean War.
Renewed recovery efforts intensified over the last few years, recently identifying the young man's remains and bringing relief to his brother, sister and other surviving family members.
In fact, his sister, Marian Atkinson, calls it, “A day of celebration, really, because we’ve waited so long for this.”
His brother, William Condon is happy to finally know exactly what happened those many years ago.
So, final respects were paid as Thomas Condon’s remains were laid to rest, years removed, but only minutes away from where a cheerful boy played at his grandparents farm, from where a teenager once accepted his high school diploma and from where a young man dreamed of Air Force Adventures ahead.
The military has a motto -- never leave a man behind. Today it proved more than words -- actions putting one family at ease -- at last.
