4 weeks ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – For decades, Debbie Shea, a pistillate surviving successful Richmond, Virginia, held onto an aged Vietnam War MIA bracelet.
She knew thing astir the antheral whose sanction was etched into the metal. It read, "Ralph Balcom."
"I conscionable thought, is helium inactive missing? You cognize what happened? I needed to cognize the extremity of the story," Shea said past twelvemonth successful September of 2024.
So, she decided to decorativeness the communicative herself.
"So, I Googled a small spot much and recovered a tract wherever you could spell to the bracelet area and benignant of permission a enactment connected the bulletin board. So I conscionable said I acquired this bracelet in 1971 and I would emotion to instrumentality it to the household if possible," she added astatine the time.
The anticipation became a world erstwhile Shea learned Ralph's son, Chris, was a unpaid with the Central Valley Honor Flight, a radical that flies vets to spot the warfare monuments successful Washington, D.C. It's conscionable a abbreviated thrust from her location successful cardinal Virginia.
Debbie amazed Chris with the bracelet at an affectional gathering successful beforehand of the memorial built to grant veterans similar Chris's dad.
By figuring retired the ending to a communicative Shea wore astir her wrist for years, she inspired an epilogue. His household decided it was clip to yet accidental a ceremonial goodbye.
But Captain Ralph Balcom's determination has been a enigma for years. He was past seen connected May 15, 1966. The United States subject believes his level crashed implicit Laos during the Vietnam War. To this day, his assemblage has ne'er been recovered. He was presumed dormant successful 1977, and it was past that they promoted him to the fertile of Colonel.
"When the prisoners came home, that's erstwhile we- and helium wasn't among them, that's erstwhile we knew that helium was conscionable gone. But we didn't know. We had nary thought what had happened," Tracy Kline said, speaking astir her father.
Now his family, including Chris's mother, Marian Balcom-Pratt, officially has a spot to sojourn him forever. The household was capable to person a ceremonial astatine Arlington National Cemetery.
And portion his assemblage isn't determination physically, his representation is.
"He'll yet person a resting place, and you can't inquire for more," Balcom-Pratt said.
After decades of symptom and missing him, Colonel Ralph Balcom's family yet got to spot him person afloat subject honors.
"He has a imperishable place, specified a beauteous imperishable spot of honor, truthful we are super, ace grateful, humbled, honored," Kline said.
And of course, Shea was determination to assistance accidental goodbye.
"I contacted Debbie Shea, and I said, 'Hey, you privation to beryllium determination for that?' And she said, 'Absolutely,'" Balcom said.
But the communicative isn't implicit yet.
Investigators are readying connected heading to wherever they judge the clang tract is successful Laos this upcoming spring. They privation to excavation and effort to spot if they tin find Balcom's body. It's not a warrant they volition find him, but arsenic DNA exertion gets better, much families similar the Balcoms person much anticipation to find their heroes they mislaid during the war.
