Vanished Hero – The Mystery of Lt. Col. Elwyn Righetti

Righetti came into the war late enough that the “D” model Mustang was in full strength. All 55th FG aircraft had the checked band around the nose, and some got the all-over green fuselage seen here. (Photo by Paul Bowen)

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The chatter in the yard quieted as neighbors, townspeople, and other ranchers from the surrounding valley turned their attention to Elwyn Righetti, the oldest son of the host family. It was summer 1944, and Lt. Col. Righetti was a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF). Only five years earlier, he drove a dairy truck on the rural roads that threaded through the hills and valleys that made up this part of California’s central...

PARDON THE INTERRUPTION

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