According to a Nov. 9 Pentagon press release, DOD has identified the remains of Col. Charles J. Scharf, of San Diego, who piloted a F-4C that was hit by enemy fire and went down in flames on Oct. 1, 1965, on a mission over North Vietnam. Other aircraft on the mission saw one parachute as the F-4 went down but after circling the area made no radio or visual contact. Several excavations began in 1992 and ended in 2004, producing remains, such as personal effects and a plastic denture tooth. A DNA test using a relative was inconclusive, but DOD researchers were able to extract DNA from gummed adhesive on letters Scharf sent to his wife.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.