West Tennessee veteran returns home after 51 years

JACKSON, Tenn.–“After 50 years, half a century, this is a long time coming,” Casey Palmer, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said.

Lt. Richard C. “Tito” Lannom, a pilot in the U.S. Navy, was from Union City.  He went missing on March 1, 1968.

After more than five decades, his remains were finally found.

“He was from Tennessee, and I got online and I went looking,” U.S. Navy veteran Tony Carbony said.

“He was on an aircraft carrier, flying missions, and he flew a mission that night, flying night missions, and he was shot down and was declared missing that night,” Carbony said.

Lannom’s remains were found off the coast of Vietnam on a remote island called Tra Ban.

Local veterans in West Tennessee said they’re thankful to have one of their brothers finally return home.

“We can give them the welcome that they deserve,” Carbony said.

Veteran Audi Quinn said he wears a patch as a reminder of the 58,044 killed or missing service members.

“I’ll be glad when all of them are back then I can take that patch off,” Quinn, a U.S. Army veteran, said.

Veteran John Harrison said the Department of Defense’s P.O.W./ M.I.A Agency has been doing a great job finding lost service members.

“We’ve got whole units that are dedicated to actually identifying those remains,” Harrison, of V.F.W. Post 1848 in Jackson, said.

And Palmer said he feels a connection to anyone who served in the U.S. military.

“It doesn’t matter if your Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Air Force, you’re a family. It’s a brotherhood, sisterhood,” Palmer said.

Lt. Lannom’s funeral will be held Saturday, March 2 at Discovery Park of America in Union City.

The processional will end at Eastview Cemetery, where a graveside service will be held for Lt. Lannom with full military honors.