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Clovis son not forgotten

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Matthew Plew
  • 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  For most people, the month of September signifies the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year, college semester or even a new career. However, for those of us who have served and are currently serving in uniform across the globe, September is a time to remember those who were killed in action, prisoners of war and missing in action, and the promise we’ve made that they will never be forgotten.

On Sept. 18, 2015 Air Commandos here will observe National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day to honor the memory of the 83,115 Americans who are still listed as missing from past conflicts. Throughout the day, Cannon Airmen will participate in a 24-hour vigil run, name reading and retreat ceremony.

Among the names read will be Clovis, New Mexico-native U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Richard Louis Albright. Albright served as a crew member on an RB-29A reconnaissance Superfortress with the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, 5th Air Force, Yakota Air base, Japan. On July 4, 1952, while on a photo reconnaissance mission over Sinanju province, North Korea, his aircraft was shot down by a MiG fighter.

According to U.S. reports, the aircraft, RB-29 (no. 44-61727) “So Tired,” departed from Yokota Air Base, Japan at 6:58 p.m. July 3, 1952 for a night reconnaissance mission. Statements from the repatriated crew members reveal that the RB-29 reached the Sinanju province at approximately 11:30 p.m. and encountered sporadic ground fire from enemy combatants. Shortly thereafter, the B-29 aircraft was attacked by a soviet MiG-15 aircraft and left severely damaged.

Reports conclude that the crew abandoned the aircraft, which crashed some 20 miles southwest of Sinanju at approximately 11:43 p.m., while at an altitude of 19,000 feet. The following crew members were onboard: 1st Lt. Joseph B. Moreland; 2nd Lt. Francis A. Strieby; 1st Lt. Kenneth S. Brazil; Airman 1st Class Edwin D. Combs; Airman 1st Class William B. Koski; Staff Sgt. Charles V. Johansen; Airman 1st Class Kenneth H. Bass; Airman 2nd Class Donald L. Hand; Staff Sgt. Bernard F. Rivers; Airman 1st Class Eugene B. Evers; Capt. Theodore R. Harris; Staff Sgt. Richard L. Albright; Staff Sgt. Clifford H. Mast.

Unconfirmed reports from the Soviet Union claim that at 11:46 p.m., Maj. Anatoly Karelin, Russian MiG pilot, observed one B-29 in the searchlight beams near Kakusen, North Korea at an altitude of 7,200 meters and attacked. He oriented on the flaming aircraft and conducted three more attacks before shooting down the B-29. The bomber began to break up and fell two kilometers west of Kakusen. The aircraft’s four engines and burnt fuselage were found at the crash site. Eight crew members of the B-29 were taken prisoner by Chinese.

Transcripts that were reported to Moscow from Russian General Albert Slyusarev, Commandant of the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School, convey that 11 of the 13 B-29 crew members were eventually captured and interrogated by Soviet and Chinese forces. The Russians also reported that two members of the B-29 shot down on July 4, 1952 (Albright and Mast) were killed. The remains of Albright and Mast did not return home when the other 11 were repatriated at the end of the war. Both men are listed as MIA but were presumed dead by the U.S. Government on Nov. 20, 1953.

Albright’s name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial cemetery located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, and on a dedicated street sign here at Cannon Air Force Base. Albright was awarded the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.

Airmen of the 27th Special Operations Wing will always remember the fearless demonstration of conviction and sacrifice that Albright displayed. He will forever stand as a shining example of what it means to be an American Airman, a warrior, and he will never be forgotten.

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