Vietnam War Airman Willis R. Hall Remains Identified After 57 Years

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Willis R. Hall, who went missing during a 1968 attack on Lima Site 85 in Laos, has finally been identified after more than five decades. Hall was one of 19 men assigned to the secret radar site used to guide bomb strikes against North Vietnam, and only eight men were rescued when the site was attacked by Vietnamese commandos. Despite multiple recovery efforts, including operations in 1994 and 2003 that recovered remains of other servicemembers, Hall's remains were not found until recent excavations in 2023 uncovered human remains and material evidence which were confirmed through anthropological and DNA analysis. Hall has been memorialized at the National Cemetery of the Pacific and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, with a rosette now placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. He is set to be buried in Altoona, Kansas, later this year. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and partner organizations have continued efforts to recover and identify missing servicemembers from the Vietnam War, showcasing ongoing dedication to honoring those lost.