The remains of three airmen missing since the crash of their A-20J bomber in December 1944 over Germany have been identified, the Pentagon announced Feb. 15. They are 2nd Lt. John F. Lubben, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.; Sgt. Albert A. Forgue, North Providence, R.I.; and Sgt. Charles L. Spiegel, Chicago, Ill. The three airmen will be buried on April 18 in Arlington National Cemetery, DOD said. They left Coullomiers, France on Dec. 12, 1944, crashing near Cologne, Germany. DOD investigators used dental records, mitochondrial DNA, and additional forensic tools as well as circumstantial evidence from German citizens to identify the remains of the three, which had been discovered by chance in 1975 and buried as unknown servicemen thereafter in the Ardennes American Military Cemetery in Neupre, Belgium. In 2003, more evidence came to light that led to their identification.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.