Defense Department forensic scientists have identified the remains of 2nd Lt. Arthur F. Parkhurst, an Army Air Forces airman missing in action since March 1945, DOD announced Thursday. His family is now in possession of his remains and he will be buried with full military honors on Saturday in Dayton, Ohio. Parkhurst, a native of Evansville, Ind., went missing along with five fellow crew members aboard a C-47A Skytrain transport that departed Tanauan Airfield on Leyte, Philippines, on March 12, 1945, to resupply guerilla troops. It was not until 1989 that a Philippine national police officer handed over human remains and artifacts, including Parkhurst’s identification tag, from a crash site near Leyte to US officials. The scientists used dental records and mitochondrial DNA to help identify Parkhurst.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
