Funeral held for Vietnam War soldier from Miami Beach accounted over 50 years later

ARLINGTON, VA. – U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sanford I. Finger, a Vietnam War soldier from Miami Beach, was buried at Arlington National Cemetary in Virginia on Friday.

The 29-year-old South Florida native was killed during the Vietnam War when his helicopter went down over water in bad weather.

Finger was reported missing since 1971 but was accounted for on Aug. 23, 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) confirmed.

The remains of four of the ten soldiers on board were recovered following the crash but Finger was not among them.

Finger’s family said they were in complete shock when they received a call they did not expect.

“It was hard to believe. Not that we had ever forgotten about him, but just the idea of him being found,” said Finger’s niece Marisa Schmidt.

Other loved ones told Local 10 News they had mixed emotions after hearing that he had been found.

“It was a moment of disbelief and mixed emotions at the same time,” said Finger’s nephew Josh Gold.

According to his family, Vietnamese farmers in the 1970s had found Finger’s body and buried him.

“Time went by (and) they had passed and while escalating the area in Vietnam, bodies were discovered,” said Finger’s nephew Lawrence Newberg.

DNA analysis confirmed it was the body of Finger and over five decades later, he was honored at his final resting place in Arlington.

“If I was ever going represent and sacrifice for our country would want to be like him,” said Gold.

“I think the best way to describe him is unforgettable. It seems that after 50 years, the friends that he had made back in North Carolina at Fort Bragg showed up today to honor him,” said Schmidt.