Bay Area WWII vet's remains recovered, returned to family after 80 years
SAN FRANCISCO - He was only 20 years old when he went missing in action at the tail end of World War II in Germany. After being identified in June 2024, Yuen Hop's remains have finally been returned to his family in San Francisco after 80 years.
Local perspective:
A ceremony was held on the airport tarmac at San Francisco International Airport on Friday evening where he was honored by members of the U.S. Army, the San Francisco Police Department and other first responders, but most notably, his only living sister, 93-year-old Margery Wong.
"It is with great honor that MIA/POW Staff Sgt. Yuen Hop has been returned to the United States. His only living sister, Margery Wong of San Francisco, along with her family, will welcome him back to the S.F. Bay Area," San Francisco police said.
Since his disappearance, his parents, Gin and Chan Hop, alongside his brothers James, Howe, and Yee, and two of his sisters, Ho Woo and Doris Wong, had passed away without closure what happened to their son and brother.
According to San Francisco police, his brothers were also military veterans.
The backstory:
Hop was an Army staff sergeant in World War II from Sebastopol. He was killed in action on Dec. 30, 1944, after his plane was shot down by heavy anti-aircraft fire while he was on a mission to Bingen, Germany, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
While most of his crewmates were captured and became prisoners of war in Germany, he and three others were unaccounted for. After investigations, search and recovery efforts lasting decades, a recommendation was issued that his and the other crewmates' remains be declared unrecoverable.
However, in 2013, researchers found documents indicating that Hop and the other two airmen were captured, killed by German SS troops, and buried in a local cemetery in Kamp-Bornhofen, SFPD said.
What's next:
His remains were escorted by police to a mortuary in Daly City.
Hop was awarded posthumously with the Purple Heart, Air Medal with one Bronze Leaf Cluster, Prisoner of War Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, World War II Victory Medal, U.S. Army Air Forces Aerial Gunner Badge Wings, Marksman Badge with Carbine and Pistol Bars, and an Honorable Service Lapel Button-WWII.
A memorial service is scheduled on Feb. 7 where the staff sergeant will be laid to rest with full honors at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno.
His name on the Wall of the Missing at the Lorraine American Cemetery in France will have a rosette placed by it to indicate he has now been accounted for.

The Source: San Francisco Police Department