Closure after 43 Years
On June 29th, I flew out to New Mexico to visit my dad. When I boarded the plane in Atlanta I cursed under my breath for being assigned a window seat at the very back of the plane. Little did I realize that from my seat I would have the honor of witnessing the return of Rudy Redd Victor’s remains to his family in New Mexico. Rudy had been missing for 43 years. In June of 1974, twenty-year-old Rudy was last seen in Montana while on leave from the Air Force. He and his girlfriend were headed to Colorado to visit family when he fled the car after an arguement. Since Victor never returned to duty, the Air Force initially listed Rudy as “absent without leave” and then as a deserter. In 1982, a rancher in Montana found a skull on a steep hillside and kept it for two years as a souvenir before turning it in to the local county coroner. Investigations at the hillside found remains which included a lower jaw. Tests at the time were inconclusive and the remains were shelved. As a result of new technological advances, Rudy’s dental records were recently matched to the skull found in Montana in 1974. After 43 years the family finally has closure and Rudy Redd Victor’s military record has been updated to remove his deserter status.
YES…YOU WERE IN THAT SEAT FOR A GOOD REASON!!!! TOUCHING STORY. SO GOOD TO SEE YOU THE OTHER DAY!!!! MARGARITA
What an amazing coincidence, and a great shot.