Lost in 1945, WWII Flyer Will Be Laid to Rest in Beaumont, Texas

FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, UNITED STATES

02.23.2026

Story by William Costello 

U.S. Army Human Resources Command

FORT KNOX, Ky. – The remains of U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Frank A. Johnstone, 20, of Beaumont, Texas, killed during World War II, will be interred Feb. 26, in Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park in his hometown. Graveside services will precede the interment.

Johnstone was assigned to the 721st Bombardment Squadron, 450th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force. On Feb. 25, 1945, he served as a navigator aboard a B-24J on a bombardment mission to Linz, Austria. During the mission, his aircraft was shot down by enemy fire and crashed near Groβraming, Austria. Nine of the twelve crewmembers bailed out of the aircraft while the remaining three, including Johnstone, went down with the plane. His remains were not recovered after the war.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency accounted for Johnstone on Feb. 6, 2025.
For more information on DPAA’s efforts to locate and identify Johnstone, please visit: [https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/ID-Announcements/Article/4241418/pilot-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-johnstone-f/](https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/ID-Announcements/Article/4241418/pilot-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-johnstone-f/)

U.S. Army Human Resources Command’s Past Conflict Repatriations Branch plays a vital role in the process of identifying, locating and contacting subsequent generation family members of Soldiers missing or killed in action during WWII and the Korean War to positively identify previously undiscovered or unknown remains.

Media interested in covering and/or obtaining more information about the funeral and interment should contact Forest Lawn Funeral Home, 409-892-5912.

• Date Taken: 02.23.2026
• Date Posted: 02.23.2026 11:58
• Story ID: 558593
• Location: FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US
• Hometown: BEAUMONT, TEXAS, US