The remains of a Vanderbilt alumnus who died in a World War II fighter-plane crash were finally laid to rest Jan. 3, 2015, in Montgomery, Alabama.
Maj. Peyton S. Mathis Jr. played football for Vanderbilt and earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, volunteering as an aviation cadet in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1940. He became commanding officer of the 44th Fighter Squadron in 1944 and, on June 5 of that year, led 14 pilots to dive-bomb Japanese weapons sites on the Solomon Islands. A brigadier general then interrupted the mission because of inclement weather.
At about the same time, Mathis experienced failure of the right engine of his P-38J Lightning twin-engine fighter plane and tried to return to Kukum Field on the northern coast of Guadalcanal. An account provided by his surviving relatives said he crashed into a jungle ravine, submerging the plane.
In 2012, locals led a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command search team to the Mathis site. Scientists used circumstantial evidence, dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA to establish identity of the remains.
“It was a relief when we got the call,” said Peyton S. Mathis III, Mathis’ namesake and nephew, to the Montgomery Advertiser. “We knew there was a crash, and we knew he could not be recovered at the time. But still, it brings an ending to the story.”
Mathis was already a veteran combat fighter pilot when he died at 28, holding the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal with eight oak-leaf clusters.
He was buried with full military honors at Greenwood Serenity Memorial Gardens in Montgomery and is survived by his widow, Evelyn.
—HEIDI HALL