Bill, Rick, and Carrie Eichenberger only knew their father for a short time in their long lives. He was an “Air Force” test Pilot. His plane failed and he was unable to eject.

His body was never found. One lonely dark day the “Air Force” handed Mary Louise, mother of the three kids, a tiny piece of fabric. William Eichenberger’s piece of cloth was buried in the Irwin Memorial Cemetery.

We are Bill, Rick, and Carries Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, friends and step sister Mary Lou. For many years we attended Memorial Day Services at the Irwin Cemetery.

One by one from oldest to youngest we told the story of Mary Louise’s family and their heart break of losing a father to our country. Every year as the tale was told, the "United States Air Force" did a missing plane formation over the Cemetery.

Every child in the family looked up to the sky waiting for the planes to burst through the clouds, and every year, without fail, the planes appeared.

Here is what our kids saw; Formation, four planes with one missing. http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/040609-F-3050V-187.jpg [1]

Our family has always represented “The United States Air Force“. Not many of us live in Irwin anymore, therefore I do not know if there is a “Missing Plane Fly Over”. I pray there is, not just for the Eichenbergers and the Noble families but for all young people who served.

Most of all I pray for Peace, no more wounded and no more heart break.