Defense Department forensic scientists have identified the remains of Lt. Col. Robert E. Pietsch, 31, of Pittsburgh, and Maj. Louis F. Guillermin, 25, of West Chester, Pa., two airmen missing in action since the Vietnam War, announced the Pentagon. Remains representing both airmen will be interred in a single casket with full military honors on Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., states DOD’s Oct. 11 release. Guillermin’s individual remains were buried on Oct. 5 in Broomall, Pa., according to the release. The two airmen’s A-26A Invader crashed in Savannakhet province, Laos, on April 30, 1968, during an armed reconnaissance mission. In 1994, a joint US-Lao team surveyed the crash site and recovered human remains and evidence. In 2006, US-Lao personnel recovered additional remains, along with personal effects and crew-related equipment, after explosive ordnance personnel cleared the crash site of unexploded ordinance.
Earlier this week, the People’s Republic of China confirmed it is halting its nuclear arms control talks with the U.S., in retaliation for the U.S. continuing to sell arms to Taiwan. The move reinforces a “pattern of behavior” from Beijing, experts say.