Data Sources - Air Force Manual No. 200-25A, Department of the Air Force, Washington, October 16, 1961 page 1. Sanitized copy. National Archives KOREAN Conflict Casualty File (KCCF) 1950-1954.
MIAs in incident; Festini, Steve J.; Lewis, Jack; Beardall, Harold Martyn
03/92 -- Korea, and the men yet to be accounted for -- the "official list" -- is a list of U.S. servicemen known to have been
held as prisoners of war by the red Chinese and North Koreans from the Korean War
but not released or accounted for by the communists, as released on May 27,
1957 at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on the Far East and Pacific by the Department
of Defense.
The lists, the printed minutes of the May 27, 1957 hearing and the
"sense of congress" resolution were subsequently buried in the
archives. The original list had 450 names compiled from American POWS who were
repatriated by the Reds, as well as from photographs released by the Reds, Chinese
radio propaganda broadcasts, and letters written home by captured men. The "revised" list was narrowed down in august of 1961 to 389 men, and
all were arbitrarily declared dead by the military services, the USG still
lists them as "unaccounted for".
Names and ranks only were released at the time, and printed in "The
Spotlight" on August 27, 1979, along with the above information and background.
Further information has been compiled by the P.O.W. Network from the Hawaii POW/MIA
Korean Memorial records, National Archives documentation, and public United
States Air Force documentation, and changes made to the original published
information. (FEBRUARY 1992)
Steve Festini is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is listed as having "died while missing" by the National Archive.
03/12/2021
- KOREAN WAR
- UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
- Unaccounted For
On the night of May 21, 1951, a B-26 Invader (tail number 44-34221, call sign Skillful 19) departed Taegu Air Base, Korea with a crew of four aviators. The briefed mission was a night interdiction operation north of the Imjin River. Ninety minutes after take-off, the pilot radioed air controllers and requested permission to cross the Imjin. There was no further contact with Skillful 19. Searches were conducted for several days but all were unsuccessful in locating the aircraft. Two years later, one of the airmen from Skillful 19's crew was returned to U.S. military control during Operation Big Switch. He reported that the B-26 had been hit by ground fire thirty miles north of the Imjin River and that one of the engines caught fire. The pilot gave the order to bail out, but only the gunner and second pilot were able to bail out before the aircraft exploded. The gunner did not see the second pilot exiting the aircraft; however, he did hear from other prisoners that the officer had survived, Skillful 19's pilot, second pilot, and navigator remain unaccounted-for.
Captain Steve Joseph Festini entered the U.S. Air Force from Ohio and was assigned to the 8th Bombardment Squadron, 3rd Bombardment Group (LIght). He was the pilot of this Invader when it exploded, and he was lost with the aircraft. No returning POWs mentioned having contact with Capt Festini, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He has not been associated with any remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Festini is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Deferred.
If you are a family member of this serviceman, DPAA can provide you with additional information and analysis of your case. Please contact your casualty office representative.