FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Friday, October 6, 2023
Contact: Tammy Martin
Office: 984-292-3255
Cell: 984-480-6256 tammy.martin@milvets.nc.gov
NC DMVA Welcomes Captain Hall Home
Vietnam War MIA Airman’s, remains recovered after missing for 54 years
Waynesville, NC — After missing in action from the Vietnam War for over half a century, the remains of U.S. Air Force Captain Frederick Mervyn Hall will return home on October 8th to a hero’s welcome. On Oct 10th, Captain Hall will be laid to rest at Greenhill Cemetery in his hometown of Waynesville, North Carolina.
Captain Hall will be received by his family on Sunday, October 8th at 1:30 p.m. at the Greenville Spartanburg International Airport. United States Air Force representatives from Shaw Air Force Base will perform plane side honors as a part of the repatriation process and transfer is conducted. His remains will be escorted by local authorities and a military honor motorcade to Waynesville.
A memorial service and internment with full military honors for Captain Hall will be held on Tuesday, October 10th from 11:00 a.m. to noon at the First Presbyterian Church of Waynesville, located at 305 North Main Street, Waynesville, NC 28786 with interment following immediately after the service.
“Captain Hall made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “We owe a deep debt of gratitude to our servicemembers and veterans, and we remain committed to bringing them home.”
NC DMVA representatives, Tammy Martin, Director of Communications, and Director of Military and Family Services, Roderick White will present Captain Hall’s family with a letter from Governor Cooper, certificates, and a flag that was flown over the State Capitol in his honor.
“Bringing Captain Hall home will help his family find some measure of closure” said LtGen Walter E. Gaskin, USMC, Ret., Secretary, NC DMVA. “While missing for more than five decades, he was never forgotten. Although not here physically, he was never far away from the hearts of his family, community, and our nation. His return helps us continue to have faith and hope for those still missing until all are returned home.”
United States Air Force Captain Hall was a member of the 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron. On April 12,1969, at the age of 25, he navigated a flight in a mission over South Vietnam. His aircraft crashed into a mountain ridge while flying through cloud cover. He was reported missing in action. The site was not successfully excavated until March 2021, when recovery teams retrieved humans remains, life support equipment, and other material evidence associated with the missing aircraft. Over 50 years after declared missing, on March 23, 2023, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Captain Hall through laboratory analysis and the totality of the circumstantial evidence.
Captain Hall’s Service Member Personnel Profile – https://bit.ly/46yzDaJ