05/22/2026
“As I lost my husband October last, the tragic going of Kenneth is almost more than I can bear, but I pray God help me through, as thousands of
Mothers are going along the same sad road.” -Emily hayne, gold star mother
For many, the memories of war and what they witnessed will stay with them forever. On March 24, 1944, the 381st Bomb Group lost three planes on a mission to Frankfurt, Germany. Colonel James Good Brown, a chaplain with the 381st, recalled, “Immediately on take-off, Lieutenant Hayne’s plane crashed. I do not wish to remember what I saw, though these memories can never be erased from the mind.” Chaplain Brown goes on to say, “Lt. Kenneth T. Haynes had just taken off for the Frankfurt mission and was attempting to gain altitude and was only four miles
from the base when something went wrong. Perhaps we will never
know what Lt. Haynes experienced on his first flight into combat.”
Colonel Brown kept extensive records regarding the whereabouts of members of the 381st BG, and notified families of servicemen who were KIA, MIA, or POW’s who write to him asking for information about missing servicemen. This included the families of the crew of Lt. Hayne’s lost flight.
To learn more about Colonel James Good Brown, Chaplain of the 381stBG, please join us to hear editor Bob Korkuc speak on Colonel Brown's dedication to the men and memory of the 381stBG on Sunday, May 24 at 2:30 after The Navigator's Letter by Jan Cress Dondi at 1pm for editor Bob Korkuc, who will be discussing his book Life of the 381st Bomb Group: The World War II Diary of Eighth Air Force Chaplain James Good Brown. This program will take place on May 24th at 2:30 pm at the museum as part of the Flags for the Fallen weekend programming courtesy of our presenting sponsor Vystar Credit Union.
The program is free to the public, but please register at https://forms.gle/2iU4oTGC1Jg3vYjy5
Image from National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Newsletter, Gold Star Stories 2016 VyStar Credit Union
