Remains Of Oklahoman Lost In World War II Crash Identified

Tuesday, April 10th 2007, 6:41 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Pentagon says the remains of 10 U.S. airmen missing in action since a World War 2 mission over New Guinea, including one from Oklahoma, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial. Second Lieutenant George Archer of Cushing was aboard a B-24 Liberator with the other airmen, returning to the aerodrome at Nadzab, New Guinea, after bombing enemy targets near Hollandia on April 16th, 1944.

The U.S. Defense Department says the aircraft altered course because of bad weather and was flying to the aerodrome at Saidor when it disappeared.

Wreckage of a World War II era bomber was found in Morobe Province in New Guinea in 2001. A U.S. military team surveyed the site in 2002 and recovered remains as well as identification tags and other objects.

Scientists used dental records, mitochondrial DNA and other tools to identify the remains.

Army officials have met with the airmen's next-of-kin to discuss the recovery and identification process and to coordinate burial with military honors.