A Memorable Day at Reagan National

I have been to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., many times over the years. Never could I have predicted that one day, October 27, 2023, to be exact, I would be so deeply moved by my most recent visit there.

As a representative of the Kassel Mission Historical Society, I was invited by the gracious family of 2nd Lt. Porter M. Pile to attend his landing, the welcome home, and final flight, of our Kassel Mission KIA, just reclassified from the status of MIA in the fall of 2022. My father, although severely injured, was a survivor of that mission. Many thoughts went through my mind that afternoon while waiting for the plane to land. What resonated the most was that Porter Pile was returning to nothing more fitting than his country’s capital, to be honored as the hero he was, for his service and ultimate sacrifice. We were brought out to the tarmac where we watched as the flag-draped coffin was carefully brought off the plane, the Honor Guards performed their time-honored military ritual, slow hand salute, and carried the coffin to the waiting hearse. Time seemed to stand still. The process was not rushed; it was slow and deliberate, as it should have been. It was respectful, as it should have been. It was incredibly moving.

Tech. Sgt. James Triplett was to fly in the following Monday, to be followed by a joint burial service at Arlington National Cemetery for the two crew members on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. Others, who are more gifted writers than I, can share the details of that incredible day with all of you. I can honestly say that the Reagan Airport tarmac and Arlington National Cemetery ceremonies for our Kassel Mission airmen, Porter Pile, and James Triplett, were two days that will go down as the most memorable in my lifetime. I feel honored and am humbled to have been able to attend both. After seventy-nine years, we were able to bring two of our boys home, give them the respect and honor they earned, and lay them down, side by side, in our nation’s capital and the revered Arlington Cemetery. After their harrowing bombing missions, their last flight brought them home where they belong.