National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona

I followed the disappearance and ultimate recovery of then Captain Earl P Hopper as a High School student in a Current Affairs class at Saguaro High School in 1971. The assignment was to order the POW bracelet and follow the person until this release or recovery. I was able to speak to his father over the years and learned a great deal from our conversations,but he encouraged me to not believe that he had died. I was able to meet personally with the team of service members assigned to the recovery of his remains from Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas.  They carefully walked me through the evidence they had recovered from the crash site.  I volunteered at the National Memorial Cemetery and had the privilege of visiting his grave site often.  I think about him often, especially on Memorial Day when I still wear the POW bracelet and remember his life and sacrifice.  RIP Captain Hopper

EARL PEARSON HOPPER JR

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