ABOVE: Navy personnel do their duties for Jackson native and Lieutenant Junior Grade Thomas Arthur Ruth, who served in WWII. He is now laid to rest next to his parents after having been missing since his plane crashed after departing from Rendova Island on June 30, 1943.

JACKSON – Dozens of flags adorned the streets of Jackson and the Riverside Cemetery on Wednesday as, after being missing for a little over eight decades, Jackson native Thomas Arthur Ruth was laid to rest next to his parents, Thomas and Ethel Ruth, with full military honors.

Ruth was in the Navy for over two years, enlisting Jan. 15, 1941 and making it to Lieutenant Junior Grade on Oct. 1, 1942. He served in that role for nine months before his teammates lost contact with him on June 30, 1943 after they had left Rendova Island to intercept enemy bomber aircraft.

After investigating, the U.S. Navy had believed that Ruth had crashed into deep water 600-3,600 feet deep, and his remains were thought to be unrecoverable.

That was until 2013, when a crash site was found by a POW/MIA investigation team. After the decision was made to disinter the remains upon analyst recommendation for laboratory analysis in 2019, a positive identification was made on April 8, 2025.

ABOVE: The remains of Thomas Arthur Ruth go through Jackson on Wednesday before being laid to rest. Here, he passes under an American flag hoisted by two fire trucks as the street is lined with American flags.

Lieutenant Commander and Chaplain Derek E. Martin delivered the remarks during Ruth’s service on Wednesday, starting with bible passages.

“For God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble,” Martin said. “As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for his children, and as a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you. You shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Martin said the founding fathers agreed that every life is worth fighting for, as stated in the Declaration of Independence’s Preamble, that all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

“They believe that every individual has rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are not granted by man-made codified laws,” he said. “Rather, these rights are God-given gifts. The greatest generation, along with countless men and women in the past and present, took a solemn oath to go forth to protect these rights that foreign powers have threatened.”

Those foreign powers are who Ruth was fighting when his plane crashed June 30, 1943, as part of the Navy Fighting Squadron 21, piloting a F4F Wildcat over the Solomon Islands.

“He joined the Navy due to a sense of commitment to his family, his friends, and his nation,” Martin said. “In order to protect our God-given rights, Thomas voluntarily forfeited certain personal freedoms. Thomas gave up the right to be near his family and friends during major life events and celebrations, in order that others could enjoy that right. He gave up the warmth of his home and informality, so that others could enjoy that right. He gave up the right to come and go without permission and/or orders, so that others could enjoy that right.”

On June 30th, Martin said Ruth made the ultimate sacrifice.

“[He] surrendered his own right to live,” Martin said. “He stayed the course, so others may live. Being baptized, Thomas’ parents made sure of that. They gave him an eternal gift through his baptism. He was introduced to Jesus Christ, and since then, Jesus never left his side. The Lord is my pilot, I shall not drift. He guides me across dark waters. He steers me through deep channels. He keeps my log.”

Martin then ended his remarks by committing Ruth’s body to the ground.

“God of mercy, look kindly on your servant Thomas, who has set down the burden of his years,” he said. “As Thomas served you faithfully throughout his life, may you give him the fullness of your peace and joy. We give you thanks for Thomas, his life now caught up in your eternal love.”

This was then followed by a single plane flying overhead in the missing man formation, a formation customary during a pilot’s funeral, a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps.

After the service, Thomas Ruth’s nephew Andy Ruth said it was very important to his family for his uncle to be recognized in this way.

“My grandparents, who are buried here, and my parents, who are buried where I grew up in Canby, never knew what happened,” he said. “To have resolution of this, and to know a lot of the details of what happened to my uncle is truly heartbreaking [but] it’s joyful, really, because now he can truly rest in peace.”

Thinking on the life and sacrifices of his Uncle, Andy Ruth said he is proud.

“I’m very proud of what he did,” he said. “I’m proud of my family, my uncle, my cousin, people in the military who really sacrificed their lives, for the Patriot Guard, who come out here and honor my uncle. It’s very heartwarming for me and very emotional, but it’s a great feel.”