Mar/Apr 2013 - Korean War Veterans Association

Capt. Fred B. Rountree, Sr., Lt. Don Thomas,
Staff Sgt. Bernard Mitchell
Though the order to bail out was
given, they received no response from
the gunner, Sgt. Bernard Mitchell.
In recent years, my brother and I have supplied DNA samples
to the U.S. Air Force, as well as envelopes from letters
my father sent from Korea to my mother in Japan. (We were
told that the saliva from the envelopes can
be used to extract DNA.) Our hope is that
one day his remains will be found and
these samples can be used to identify him.
Only then will he be able to receive a
proper burial.
Though we have many photos and a
few home-made movies, my only real
memory of my father was when, on his
return to Japan, every so often he would
bring us Dentyne chewing gum. To this
day I still love that gum. It’s a very small
and simple memory in what should have
been a lifetime full of them.
P. S. The story of the 83 days it took
navigator Capt. Don Thomas to return to
the U.S. forces can be found at
http://www.13thbombsquadron.org/caveman1.html.
I sometimes wonder what happened
to those Koreans who helped Capt.
Thomas. They truly were real life heroes.
Fred Brinson Rountree Jr., 77 Forest Rd.,
Wallkill, NY 12550, FRountree@aol.com
The story of Capt. Rountree’s
disappearance
59
The Graybeards March - April 2013