Captain Simpson was a decorated veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was a crew member of a B-29A Superfortress Bomber with the 93rd Bomber Squadron, 19th Bomber Wing. On April 12, 1951, while on a combat mission, the aircraft was attacked by fifteen to twenty MiGs. It exploded and crashed into a mountain near Sinuiju, North Korea. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on November 6, 1953. His remains were recovered on October 16, 2000 and were identified on July 17, 2007. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.