GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. — A collection of letters, documents and photographs from a young airman who went missing during the Korean War is finding a new home at the Goochland County Historical Society in Virginia.
Richard Cobbs, 91, recently donated an archive of personal items belonging to his brother, James Lynwood Cobbs, who disappeared in 1951 while serving in the Air Force.
"I just felt like I did not want to throw them away," Richard Cobbs said. "I am approaching the end of my rope. None of my children ever heard of him, so I don't have anybody to leave it to."
The collection includes letters Jimmy wrote home to his family in Crozier, a high school report card, and a baby book nearly 95 years old.
Ginny Olsen, who works at the historical society, says the materials provide a valuable glimpse into the past.
"So it's giving you the timeline of his life," Olsen said. "These are in actually very good shape from the 1950s... I think it helps us understand people and understand what was going on at the time."
What Happened to James Cobbs
On July 21, 1951, the plane carrying 19-year-old Air Force Corporal James Cobbs to Korea went missing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Alaska. Jimmy and 37 others aboard were never found.
"Oh. I don't think you can measure that kind of loss," Olsen said.
Richard Cobbs still vividly remembers the morning his family received the devastating news.
"I was lying in bed, and my father came to the bedroom door early in the morning. And told us our brother was missing. Said 'Get up.' He was crying," Cobbs said.
The pain lingered in the Cobbs household for years, with the subject becoming too difficult to discuss, especially without remains to mourn.
"My parents kind of withdrew after that. I know my father did. He was never the same," Cobbs said.
For decades, the family preserved Jimmy's letters and newspaper clippings as a tangible connection to their missing son and brother.
"I don't think she actually accepted that he was dead until the letter came from the Air Force months later. There is always that hope in her heart," Cobbs said.
A Legacy Protected
James Richmond, Executive Director of the Goochland Historical Society, says Richard's donation ensures Jimmy's legacy will be protected.
"We need to know what these people every day life was because we didn't see it. And he's not here to tell us what happened so these letters are that important and an important link to the past," Richmond said. "These are the people who that don't get remembered. Passed away before their life even started. Honoring him like this brings him back to life."
Inside Grace Episcopal Church cemetery sits a cenotaph – a headstone above an empty grave – honoring Jimmy's memory.
"Oh, they didn't bring [his body] back, of course. Never found it," Richard Cobbs said. "He is one of many who lost their lives for our country. I think he deserves to be remembered."
After so many painful years, Richard takes comfort knowing his brother's legacy will endure, preserved in the historical society's archives.
"It gave me a great deal of relief and satisfaction. To know that someone was interested in it," Richard Cobbs said. "He will always be 19 years old to me. I felt I had to do something for him to be remembered."
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