Thompson survived the crash with burns, a bullet wound across the cheek, and a broken back. He was quickly captured by the Viet Cong. Initially, Whitesides was not found; he was awarded the Air Force Cross for a previous mission but was killed before it could be presented to him. He was the first American to be killed in action at Khe Sanh, South Vietnam. The crash site was located in 1999 by a joint American-Vietnamese team. Captain Whitesides' remains were located, recovered, and identified between August 2013 and June 2014. Captain Whitesides was interred at the West Point Cemetery on May 1, 2015.