Remains of missing Vietnam war pilot from Texas identified

The remains of a Navy pilot from West Texas will be returned to his family more than 50 years after he and his jet disappeared during a Vietnam War combat mission.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on Thursday announced identification of Navy Reserve Cmdr. Charles B. Goodwin of Haskell, Texas. Burial will be Oct. 12 in Abilene.

Officials say Goodwin was 25 years old on Sept. 8, 1965, when he flew an RF-8A off the USS Coral Sea on a photo mission. Goodwin minutes later reported thunderstorms. That was his last transmission.

Searches turned up nothing.

A Vietnamese refugee in 1988 provided information on possible remains. Officials in late 2016 received remains that had been with a Vietnamese national.

Lab tests identified Goodwin. He was accounted for in May 2017.