With these words, Roy Knight III described the remarkable funeral service held last Saturday for his father, Roy Knight Jr.
Col. Knight’s homecoming made national headlines last week, and for good reason.
A true American hero
Roy A. Knight Jr. enlisted in the United States Air Force just days after his seventeenth birthday, following the example of his five older brothers, all of whom served in World War II. He served in the Philippines, Japan, and Korea, then became a fighter pilot, serving in Germany and France.
He and his family returned to Texas in 1963. He completed his bachelor’s degree, then received orders for Southeast Asia. He reported in January 1967 and flew combat missions almost daily until he was shot down on May 19, 1967.
Col. Knight was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, and six Air Medals for his bravery. His remains were recovered and identified in February 2019.
“Dallas Love Field fell absolutely quiet”
A reporter named Jackson Proskow was at Love Field Airport in Dallas last Thursday. He had been covering the shooting in El Paso and was waiting for his connecting flight to New York City. There, he said, “Dallas became the place where the weight of the world seemed to melt away—the place where the good outweighed the bad for the first time in days.”
Here’s what happened: the reporter noticed camera crews at the gate, then a gate agent from Southwest Airlines began handing out American flags. Next came an announcement over the PA system stating that an inbound plane was carrying Col. Knight’s remains.
“Today, Col. Knight is coming home to Dallas,” said the agent.
He told the waiting crowds that Col. Knight said farewell to his five-year-old son at this very airport fifty-two years earlier before leaving to go to war. Then the agent made this remarkable…
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