The Pentagon has identified the remains of nine airmen who died when their B-24J Liberator crashed during a World War II mission. The Army Air Forces airmen are 1st Lt. David P. McMurray of Melrose, Mass.; 1st Lt. Raymond Pascual of Houston; 2nd Lt. Millard C. Wells Jr. of Paris, Ky.; TSgt. Leonard J. Ray of Upper Falls, Md.; TSgt. Hyman L. Stiglitz of Boston; SSgt. Robert L. Cotey of Vergennes, Vt.; SSgt. Francis E. Larrivee of Laconia, N.H.; SSgt. Robert J. Flood of Neelyton, Pa.; and SSgt. Walter O. Schlosser of Lake City, Mich. They flew from England to bomb a German aircraft factory, and their aircraft was last seen over the target. Captured records showed that the B-24 went down near Westeregeln, which would be in the Soviet Sector of post-war Germany. German citizens turned remains they discovered in 2001 and 2002 over to US officials. In 2003, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command team excavated the crash site and recovered more remains, ID tags, and other evidence.
The Space Force is finalizing its first contracts for the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve and plans to award them early in 2025—giving the service access to commercial satellites and other space systems in times of conflict or crisis—officials said Nov. 21.