THE WALL OF FACES

Charles Lane, Jr. was born on April 21, 1942, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Charles and Beatrice (Hroza) Lane. He had one sister, La Lonnie. Charles first attended grade school at St. Wenceslaus Catholic School in Tabor, South Dakota, then went to Tabor High School and graduated in 1960. His mother recalls that although Charles played football and basketball in high school, “he was usually on the bench.” He then worked at Bob’s Wholesale to earn some money for college. Charles married Cheryl Aldrich in Tabor on November 16, 1963. Soon after, his father died on December 1, 1963. Charles graduated from Yankton College in 1964. He and Cheryl had two daughters, Jo Anne and Julie. Charles Lane, Jr. entered in the Air Force on January 1, 1965, after he graduated from college. He was commissioned as an officer after he trained at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. He then earned his pilot wings at Vance Air Force Base, Enid, Oklahoma. After that, he took specialized aircrew training at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, before he was assigned to MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, to be a pilot in the Tactical Air Command. Soon after, he went overseas to U-bon, Thailand, as a pilot of the F-4C Phantom 110, which was fast and “extremely maneuverable and handled well at low and high altitudes,” making it popular with pilots. Once Charles told his mother that flying was like baseball. He wrote that it gave a good feeling, like “if you sat on the bench one minute and were playing in the World Series the next.” Captain Charles Lane, Jr. was missing in action on August 23, 1967. He was shot down while flying on his 92nd mission, 10 miles north of Hanoi, North Vietnam. His co-pilot, Major Larry Carrigan of Arizona, pilot of the Phantom F-4, was immediately captured when he parachuted from the plane and held as a prisoner of war for seven years. Later he told Charles’s mother details about the crash. In addition to their plane, another F-4 was also destroyed in the attack. Of the four men in the two planes, three parachutes were seen “descending to the ground.” Charles was in the back seat that day and the missile hit the plane, so it is believed he was killed instantly. Carrigan said he flew quite a distance before he crashed and Charles, had he ejected, should have fallen down sooner. Since North Vietnam was a wooded, hostile area, recovery wasn’t possible. He was presumed dead on October 9, 1973. He has a memorial stone at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis. Among his awards, Captain Lane received the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters. From the Town & County Weekly News, Tuesday, June 2, 1998. Rest in peace with the warriors.

I was deeply saddened by the news of Capt Charles Lane Jr.'s death. Mine was a MIA bracelet. I always hoped he was safe. I feel it is time for me to return this treasure to his family where it belongs.

Charles has a military stone in his honor at Black Hills Nat Cem.

I have not forgotten you. I chair the Adoption Committee for The National League of Families of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action in Southeast Asia. We will always remember the 1,889 Americans still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia and the thousands of others that lost their lives. We will not stop our efforts until all of you are home where you belong.

We need to reach the next generation so that they will carry on when our generation is no longer able. To do so, we are attempting to locate photographs of all the missing. If you are reading this remembrance and have a photo and/or memory of this missing American that you would like to share for our project, please contact me at:

Candace Lokey
PO Box 206
Freeport, PA 16229
[email protected]

If you are not familiar with our organization, please visit our web site at :

www.pow-miafamilies.org

Although I never met you, I have worn your MIA bracelet for several years. I have often wondered what kind of person you were. It doesn't really matter. You paid the ultimate price in the service of your country. That makes you a great man in my eyes.