On a recent hot summer day, nearly a dozen members of the Missing Man Foundation (MMF) gather on the flight line at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif., for a short flight in their matching T-34s, Korean War-era trainers. All of the members, clad in their crisp, black flight suits, stand ramrod straight at attention by their planes while they are briefed on their mission: to honor a recently deceased Air Force flyer with a distinctive feat of precision flying – the ‘Missing Man’ formation. As soon as the honoree’s biography is read, the order is barked, and the pilots, all seasoned combat veterans, climb into their cockpits and strap themselves in, ready to fly. Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Don “Big Heart” Goodin, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, began the Foundation nearly five years ago. “We started as just a bunch of good American boys who love to fly and have a good time together,” he explained. “We are all members of the March Aero Club, so we frequently fly together just for fun. Several years ago we started getting requests from friends and relatives to perform the ‘Missing Man’ formation for their loved ones who had passed away. We never charged for our services, but these families started sending donations to help us defray our costs and to thank us for what we had done. We don’t pay ourselves, so the problem quickly became – what do we do with the money? That’s when the Foundation really began.“
The ‘Missing Man’ Formation
The ‘Missing Man’ formation had its earliest known beginnings during the World Wars when observers would watch for returning aircraft to see empty positions in formations. During the Korean War, when one member of the 35th Fighter Group was killed, a formation of three Mustangs flew over the pilot’s funeral ceremony. By the war’s end, the ‘Missing Man’ had become a military tradition. In April 1954, Air Force Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with several departures from the prescribed military funeral. Among these: the traditional horse-drawn caisson was eliminated. Instead, Vandenberg got a flyover of jet aircraft with one plane missing from the formation. The ‘Missing Man’ is usually flown by four to six aircraft in a V formation with the left leg longer than the right (viewed from below) and the flight leader at the point of the arrowhead. As the formation approaches the gravesite or other ceremony area, the wingman following to the leader’s right (left from below) leaves the formation in a spectacular pull-up, suggesting the hero’s soul going up to God.
“There are a lot of events where a flyover or a flyby is performed,” Goodin said. “For example, at the funeral of cartoonist Charles Schultz, a flyover of WWII-era fighter planes was used. Even John F. Kennedy, Jr., received a flyover by some German-built Extra 300s. But the ‘Missing Man’ formation is an honor normally reserved for military flyers. “In keeping with tradition, the ‘Missing Man’ flight is reserved for anyone who was a flight crew member in any service. This would include navigators, flight engineers, loadmasters, bombardiers, etc. The board of directors can authorize the ‘Missing Man’ formation for someone who, in their opinion, deserves this tribute. All others will receive a very impressive and moving diamond flyby where the aircraft are flown in diamond formation, and all four airplanes make the pass and then pull up together.” MMF has performed more than 200 of the formations since its beginning, not including flyovers and flybys at air shows, parades and other events.
The Final Salute
“Traditionally, there had been an unwritten expectation that the U.S. government would, upon request, provide military honors for any deceased veteran,” Goodin said. “But as America’s veteran population aged, the demand for military burials far outstripped what the Department of Defense could provide.” As a result, a lot of veterans organizations began forming ad hoc groups nationwide to volunteer in their areas to provide burial services, including an honor guard to fold the flag, seven riflemen to discharge three volleys (an actual 21-gun salute is reserved for heads of state) and a bugler to blow taps. The same situation is especially true with flyovers, Goodin added. “The realities of limited government manpower and resources make a flight for each deceased flyer impossible,” he said. “That’s why groups like ours are so important.” Plans for the Foundation include expansion to chapters nationwide. “We are looking at forming chapters in Texas, the Carolinas and Minnesota in order to spread our services across the country,” Goodin said. “We are confident that we can get the pilots. A lot depends on getting grants and donations to fund the acquisition of more aircraft, which we would purchase from government surplus.” The MMF currently has eight pilots.
According to Goodin, MMF is the only non-profit organization in the country that provides its services regardless of a family’s ability to pay. “There are other organizations that will perform the formation, even a flyover, but there is a fee for their services,” he said. Goodin added that each flight costs them approximately $75 per hour for each aircraft. The use of smoke is an additional $5 per aircraft. All donations are used to defray such operating expenses. Each MMF member is a military veteran. The ages of the members range from their mid-30s to their 60s. Their experience levels vary widely, too. Air Force Col. Elias “Cas” Casillas earned a Silver Star for his F-105 missions over Hanoi during the Vietnam War. Goodin, also a veteran A-37 pilot who flew close air support in Vietnam, has the distinction of being the pilot of the C-141 that ferried the last load of POWs out of Hanoi in March 1973. “Regardless of our military affiliations or experience, we all have one thing in common,” said retired Navy Cmdr. Jerry “Bagel” Rohles. “We love to fly, and we believe in doing this to honor other military flyers who have served honorably. It’s a very solemn time when we do this. That’s why we never take passengers when we perform this ceremony. It preserves the dignity of the occasion.“
“We will perform the ‘Missing Man’ anytime, anywhere it is requested,” Goodin said. “We never deny a flyer this honor, whether their family can afford to make a donation or not. We can put a formation together on a moment’s notice. We often get a call from a funeral home that we’re needed the next day, and we put out the call for four pilots and a ground crew. And, by golly, our members respond.” Fred Zoltz, an MMF board member and member of VFW Post 8307 in Layton, Utah, sees this as an obligation: “In a very real sense, we the living can do so little to pay tribute to those who gave everything, their lives and limbs, in the service of their country. Every flyer deserves a ‘Missing Man’ tribute.“
