Dark5 | 5 Soldiers Who Reappeared out of Thin Air @dark5tv | Uploaded 3 years ago | Updated 1 day ago
In 1946, a Marine who was presumed dead appeared in his hometown of Arkansas out of thin air. Almost as quickly as he arrived, the mystery man vanished from the scene, never to be seen again.
William Willard Langston grew up in the suburbs around Newport, Arkansas. After his high school graduation, Langston moved to Michigan, where he met, married, and had a child with Linda Schmeichel.
In 1944, William was deployed to World War II as part of the Marine Corps. He was declared killed in action a year later on March 7, 1945, after participating in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
But Langston's story did not end there.
On January 19, 1946, an individual claiming to be William Willard Langston showed up in Newport, Arkansas.
According to the soldier, he had arrived in Michigan first. After realizing his widow had remarried, he turned to his hometown.
Langston had moved out of state 11 years prior, so the man was not immediately recognized by the locals. Still, old family friends and relatives who came into contact with him that day claimed he used old nicknames and recalled old stories that only the real William would know.
One day later, the mysterious man left Newport without telling anybody where he was heading.
The story of an Iwo Jima veteran returning from the dead and his subsequent disappearance was chronicled in newspapers from all over the country.
During this time, Langston's mother received a letter claiming to be from him. In it, he wrote that he was headed to an Oklahoma veteran's hospital and that he would get in touch with her later on.
The alleged Langston also sent a letter to a local newspaper in which he complained about how unfair veterans were treated in the city and that he was moving on from his past.
A few months later, the coverage stopped and internet searches shed no further light on the matter. Nobody knows where he went or why he only reappeared for a single day.
More than 75 years later, the mystery of the Phantom Marine lingers on...
In 1946, a Marine who was presumed dead appeared in his hometown of Arkansas out of thin air. Almost as quickly as he arrived, the mystery man vanished from the scene, never to be seen again.
William Willard Langston grew up in the suburbs around Newport, Arkansas. After his high school graduation, Langston moved to Michigan, where he met, married, and had a child with Linda Schmeichel.
In 1944, William was deployed to World War II as part of the Marine Corps. He was declared killed in action a year later on March 7, 1945, after participating in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
But Langston's story did not end there.
On January 19, 1946, an individual claiming to be William Willard Langston showed up in Newport, Arkansas.
According to the soldier, he had arrived in Michigan first. After realizing his widow had remarried, he turned to his hometown.
Langston had moved out of state 11 years prior, so the man was not immediately recognized by the locals. Still, old family friends and relatives who came into contact with him that day claimed he used old nicknames and recalled old stories that only the real William would know.
One day later, the mysterious man left Newport without telling anybody where he was heading.
The story of an Iwo Jima veteran returning from the dead and his subsequent disappearance was chronicled in newspapers from all over the country.
During this time, Langston's mother received a letter claiming to be from him. In it, he wrote that he was headed to an Oklahoma veteran's hospital and that he would get in touch with her later on.
The alleged Langston also sent a letter to a local newspaper in which he complained about how unfair veterans were treated in the city and that he was moving on from his past.
A few months later, the coverage stopped and internet searches shed no further light on the matter. Nobody knows where he went or why he only reappeared for a single day.
More than 75 years later, the mystery of the Phantom Marine lingers on...
