A World War II Hero’s Homecoming

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.

Advances in science and technology are helping make identifications like Lt. Brindley’s possible.

In March 1952, the organization charged with recovering fallen American servicemembers in the European Theater took custody of remains recovered from Bad Salzungen Cemetery in Germany. It was believed this included crew members from Brindley’s aircraft. While identification was not possible, the remains were interred in the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium.

Historians exhumed these remains 69 years later for updated testing at DPAA laboratories. Using anthropological and mitochondrial DNA analysis, scientists from the DPAA and Armed Forces Medical Examiner System reached out for additional assistance for a positive identification.

Brindley’s great-niece recently shared with Little Rock media how a call she received in 2018 from the military looking for a descendant of one of his sisters helped create the momentum needed to positively identify their lost hero.

Lt. Brindley gave everything for his country. While we can never fully repay him, we must strive to fulfill our promise to all who are missing and their families. No one should ever wonder where their loved one who served in uniform is, or when then will return home.

We are grateful Lt. Brindley has come home to Arkansas. His family says for them this is a Christmas miracle. It certainly is a blessing they deserve for their sacrifice. Our nation is committed to continuing this mission so we can deliver the same news to families waiting for their heroes.