Richland Scout creates monument for missing pilot

A Richland teen has created a lasting tribute to a war hero for his Eagle Scout project.

Nick Workman, 17, heard about Air Force Maj. San D. Francisco, a Burbank native shot down in 1968 over North Vietnam, from one of his Scoutmasters, Bryan Blanc. Blanc was a student in Francisco’s mother’s classroom in Burbank.

“He still remembers the day when she found out he was shot down,” Workman said.

Workman started working on the project in April. He talked to Francisco’s sister, Terri Francisco-Farrell of Kennewick, who has been trying for decades to bring her brother’s remains home. They came up with a design for what should be on the monument and contacted Wylie Monuments in Walla Walla about the granite display.

Francisco-Farrell wanted the monument to not only honor her brother, but all those who have yet to be brought home, she said.

“San was a Boy Scout in Troop 53. It is a fitting honor that another Boy Scout honors his sacrifice,” she said.

Workman raised more than $2,900 for the project, getting donations from AgriNorthwest and others. The monument was placed at Wallula Cemetery on an existing foundation, near where Francisco went to school and his mother taught. A ceremony to dedicate the monument is scheduled for 1 p.m. Nov. 7, just ahead of Veterans Day.

The monument features a plaque with the POW/MIA emblem with the inscription below, “All gave some...Some gave all.”

“I hope that people will reflect upon the actions or sacrifices of past veterans, especially those who have fallen and are missing or overseas,” said Workman, who is in the Running Start program at Columbia Basin College. “And they will work to bring them back to the United States where they belong.”

Workman is now a Life Scout. He has completed his Eagle Scout paperwork and is in the process of making sure all the requirements are met so he can move to the next level.

Francisco’s remains are not on the list for the Defense Department’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s 2016 retrieval, his sister said. She said that can change if enough people write letters encouraging that he be brought back. Go to www.sdfawareness.org for more information.

An account has also been set up to raise money for a documentary about Francisco’s story and how his family’s journey can help others seeking to bring loved ones home, Francisco-Farrell said. Donations can be made at www.gofundme.com/bringingheroeshome.

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Richland Scout creates monument for missing pilot."