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Utahn among missing Vietnam War veterans honored by new monument

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Posted at 8:22 PM, May 15, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-16 02:30:14-04

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine — On Saturday, a group called Wreaths Across America honored soldiers whose disappearance remains one of the biggest mysteries of the Vietnam War.

Flight 739, nicknamed "The Flying Tiger," went missing on March 16, 1962, and the 93 U.S. Army Rangers on board were presumed dead.

No trace of wreckage was ever recovered, and due to the complexities surrounding the mission, the names of all those on board have not yet been added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

WATCH: Utah Honor Flight hosts luncheon to honor WWII vets

The Civil Aeronautics Board determined the plane likely exploded in-flight, though an exact cause could not be determined.

Wreaths Across America unveiled a monument dedicated to the "Flying Tiger" Saturday in Columbia Falls, Maine.

Sgt. John Jones from Utah was aboard that flight.

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Sgt. John Jones of Utah, one of 93 U.S. Army Rangers presumed dead after a flight went missing during the Vietnam War.

"Hand-picked military people were chosen for this top-secret mission. That was pretty cool," said Dustin Kaae, Jones' grandson. "It kind of meant a lot to know my grandpa was one of them."

"The fact that I get to go up there and be a part of that," Kaee continued, "that is something I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life. That's for sure."