World War-II airman went missing in 1944 — 80 years later, his sister received a call she never expected

Trigger Warning: The following story deals with themes of loss and grief. 

Over six dreadful years, millions of soldiers lost their lives during World War II. Sadly, many families never had the chance to claim the bodies of their loved ones who had perished on the battlefield. Something similar happened to Margery Wong, who never heard from her brother, Sergeant (Sgt.) Yuen Hop, after he was declared missing in action, as reported by ABC7 News. However, after eight decades of relentless searching and patience, Wong was finally reunited with her late brother as his remains returned home. 

It was 1944 when Wong, who was just 12 at the time, learned that her then-20-year-old brother, a World War II soldier, was "missing in action." She revealed that the news of her brother's plane being shot down during a mission in Germany severely impacted her parents, Gin and Chao Hop. "I was probably about 12 years old. My dad was working in the orchards...and my mom...I think she took it pretty bad," Wong said. While details surrounding what happened were limited, she was determined to find her brother, Hop. "None of us, you know, actually knew what was going on," she revealed. Without any second thoughts, Wong and her family continued their search for years with no luck.

However, everything changed in June 2024 when Wong received a phone call. "The phone rang, and I was wondering whether it was true or not. Phil (her husband) and I were so shocked!" she said, per ABC7 Bay Area, reflecting on her reaction to finally hearing about her late brother over the call. Notably, in 2013, nearly 70 years after Hop went missing, researchers found information about three captured airmen who were buried in a cemetery in Germany. Ed Gor, the National Director for the Chinese American WWII Congressional Gold Medal Project, said, "So, they do send research teams out there, and they're combing through Germany and places like that: France, Italy. We had to go back to churches, go back to neighborhood centers, where the Chinese were."

On February 7, 2025, the mortal remains of Sgt. Yuen Hop were brought to the United States in a flag-draped casket at San Francisco International Airport. Interestingly, to honor the legacy of the warrior, a ceremony was held where his sister, Wong, welcomed him back home. It is pertinent to mention that Hop was just 19 when he left Sebastopol, California, to join the U.S. Army, as reported by The Telegraph (online). Eventually, shortly after completing high school, he left to fight in World War II. Unfortunately, in December 1944, Sergeant Hop went on a mission over Bingen, Germany, as a crew member during the Battle of the Bulge. In a horrifying turn of events, the plane was struck by enemy aircraft fire.

Looking at the situation, the pilot ordered the men to bail out, and deploy their parachutes. Although the majority of the men were captured and taken to a German prisoner-of-war camp, three were never found, including Sergeant Hop. On the other hand, when he was declared missing in action, Hop's family knew that he was dead, but the urge to know what actually happened to him intrigued them for years.