Honoring our heroes

The greatest privilege I have as a journalist is to write about heroes.

They are heroes – those men and women who gave their lives in defense of my country, your country.

One of those heroes is Tech. Sgt. Clarence E. Frantz of Tyrone.

Clarence Frantz was 24 years old when his cargo plane went down in May 1944 over “The Hump,” that hellish expanse above the China-Burma-India theater in World War II. Many American servicemen lost their lives at The Hump over the Himalayas.

Frantz served in Tyrone's Troop B, 104^th Cavalry, before he transferred into the U.S. Army Air Corps. He and six other airmen died in the mission, but it wasn't until recently that the U.S. military was able to get into Burma, now known as Myanmar, to recover remains and other evidence.

Military scientists used DNA analysis, dental records and circumstantial evidence to identify Frantz's crew. The Defense Department made the public announcement on Friday.

Frantz's brother, Robert, said Clarence was basically identified through a bracelet that was recovered in Burma. The bracelet was a gift from their mother before Clarence was shipped overseas.

Frantz and the other airmen will receive a funeral with full military honors July 15 at Arlington National Cemetery.

Our nation never forgot Tech. Sgt. Clarence E. Frantz.

This Fourth of July weekend – the weekend we celebrate our independence – may we never forget the other service members who are listed as prisoners of war or missing in action.

In 2008, the military reported that more than 1,300 American service members were still missing in the China-Burma-India theater. The door has been closed in Myanmar since 2004. May we redouble our efforts to reopen it.

Pray for the Clarence Frantz family this weekend and for all families who have loved ones listed as prisoners of war or missing in action.

And thank you for allowing us to have your sons and daughters that we may still live with the great freedoms we have in the United States of America.