[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 16, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4985-S4986]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 REMEMBERING COLONEL WILLIAM H. MASON AND CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT THOMAS 
                               E. KNEBEL

  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to two airmen from 
Arkansas, Air Force COL William H. Mason of Camden and CMSGT. Thomas E. 
Knebel of Midway, who bravely gave their lives during the Vietnam War, 
but whose ultimate fate had remained unknown. During a recent ceremony 
at Arlington National Cemetery, Colonel Mason and Chief Master Sergeant 
Knebel along with their crew members were given full military honors 
for their sacrifice.

[[Page S4986]]

  On May 22, 1968, these men were aboard a C-130A Hercules on an 
evening flare mission over northern Salavan Province, Laos. Fifteen 
minutes after the aircraft made a radio call, the crew of another U.S. 
aircraft observed a large ground fire near the last known location of 
the aircraft. Search and rescue could not be attempted due to heavy 
antiaircraft fire in the area.
  The fate of the plane and its crew was a mystery for decades. 
Military investigators pursued numerous leads before locating the crash 
site just inside Vietnam in 2000, then spent several more years trying 
to identify human remains at the site.
  After years of uncertainty, the families of Colonel Mason and Chief 
Master Sergeant Knebel can now be at peace knowing the remains of their 
loved ones have been found.
  My heart goes out to the families of these airmen, who made the 
ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our Nation. Along with all Arkansans, I 
am grateful for the service and sacrifice of all of our military 
servicemembers and their families. I am committed to ensuring they have 
the full support that they need and deserve. As Arkansans, and as 
Americans, it is incumbent upon us to do everything we can to honor 
their service. It is the least we can do for those whom we owe so much.

                          ____________________