1st Lt. Franklin McKinney: Found After 82 Years

F-5 Lightning Reconnaissance Plane Discovered in Thailand

In 1944, 21-year-old 1st Lt. Franklin McKinney, a member of the Flying Tigers, climbed into his F-5 Lightning (the reconnaissance variant of the P-38) for a daring spy mission over Japanese forces in Burma. He took off and was never seen again.

Years later, an Air Force cadet in 2010 revived the story of McKinney’s disappearance. Through tireless effort, he tracked down a 96-year-old Thai witness who had seen the plane crash into a rice paddy. That lead culminated in 2026 with the discovery of the F-5 and the recovery of McKinney’s remains—82 years after he went missing—which were finally returned to the United States.

Valor does not die in obscurity. It is never forgotten. Valor is in you. Set it free.