SFPD Escorts Remains of Missing World War II Veteran Staff Sergeant Yuen Hop for Long-Awaited Homecoming 25-019
On Friday, January 31, 2025, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) assisted the United States Army in receiving the remains of missing World War II veteran, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Yuen Hop.
An SFPD motorcade escorted the procession of Staff Sergeant Hop’s flag-draped casket from San Francisco International Airport to Duggan’s Serra Mortuary in Daly City ahead of his official memorial service. The procession also included his family, United States Army personnel, and United Service Organizations Northern California members.
Upon the aircraft’s arrival, a ceremony was held on the airport tarmac as Staff Sergeant Hop’s only living sister, 93-year-old Margery Wong of San Francisco, along with her family and other first responders, welcomed him back to the San Francisco Bay Area.
An official memorial service will be held on February 7 after which Staff Sergeant Hop will be laid to rest in his final resting place.
Watch the procession arrive at the San Francisco International Airport
Obituary of Staff Sergeant Yuen Hop | WWII Veteran, KIA | 07/01/1924 - 12/30/1944
The missing remains of U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Yuen Hop, age 20, of Sebastopol, California, killed in WWII, was recovered and identified in June of 2024.
In 1944, his plane was shot down by heavy anti-aircraft fire on a mission to Bingen, Germany. Most of his crewmates were captured and processed into the German POW camp system. Yuen and two other crewmembers remained unaccounted for.
After a decades-long exhaustive investigation and unsuccessful search and recovery efforts, a recommendation was issued that they be declared non-recoverable.
In 2013 however, researchers discovered documents containing information on the three captured airmen, referencing a War Crimes case, indicating he was captured and killed by German SS troops and buried in a local cemetery in the town of Kamp-Bornhofen.
Staff Sgt. Hop was awarded the following medals posthumously: The Purple Heart, Air Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Prisoner of War Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, World War II Victory Medal, U.S. Army Air Forces Aerial Gunner Badge Wings, Marksman Badge with Carbine and Pistol Bars, and an Honorable Service Lapel Button-WWII.
His parents, Gin and Chan Hop, his three brothers; James Hop, Howe Hop, and Yee Hop (all of whom served in the U.S. Military), and two of his sisters; Ho Woo, and Doris Wong all passed away while he was listed as Missing in Action, without closure.
It is with great honor that MIA/POW Staff Sgt. Yuen Hop has been returned to the United States. His only living sister, Margery Wong of San Francisco, along with her family, will welcome him back to the S.F. Bay Area in January 2025.
Funeral Services are scheduled for Friday, February 7, 2025, at 11:00 am at Duggan's Serra Mortuary, 500 Westlake Avenue in Daly City, CA. Staff Sgt. Hop will be laid to rest with full honors at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno immediately following the service.
His name is recorded on the Wall of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has now been accounted for.