The last time Joe Brindley saw his big brother, Kenyon, was in 1941. The younger Brindley recalled Kenyon’s generosity at leaving his siblings his uneaten piece of lemon pie before heading back to his U.S. Army Air Force assignment. While Kenyon regularly wrote letters to his family, those stopped nearly 80 years ago.
U.S. Army Air Force 2nd Lt. Kenyon Brindley, a Little Rock native, bravely served as bombardier aboard B-24s during World War II. On February 24,1944, his 13th mission, his plane was hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire. The plane caught fire and crashed, killing Lt. Brindley and other crew members. Unfortunately, the military was unable to account for him following the war, but his family never gave up hope.
Their prayers were finally answered in September 2023 when Lt. Brindley’s remains were identified and began the journey home to be laid to rest in Conway a week before Christmas.
This homecoming was made possible thanks to the relentless pursuit of individuals at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) who are tasked with accounting for missing men and women who served in our nation’s uniform. They are committed to searching for answers to share with families who are waiting to hear news of their loved one.
This dedication takes DPAA personnel to remote areas. In its 2023 Year in Review report, the agency detailed recovery efforts around the world including Papua New Guinea, Laos, Panama and India. From October 2022 to September 2023, DPAA accounted for 158 individuals, including Lt. Brindley.
More than 81,000 Department of Defense Americans remain missing from World War II, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf Wars and other recent conflicts. It’s estimated that 75 percent of the missing are in the Indo-Pacific region.