The remains of 12 World War II airmen were buried Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery -- 68 years after they disappeared.
In 1943, the airmen were flying a B-24 Liberator that crashed in Papua, New Guinea. The men were carrying out reconnaissance mission. They took off on Oct. 27 and were never heard from again.
The men weren’t found until 2003, when a citizen of Papua found an identification card from one of the airmen.
Many of the relatives who attended today’s funeral did not know their family members because they were born long after the men disappeared.
Here is a list of the veterans and their hometowns:
- Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Jack E. Volz, 21, of Indianapolis
- 2nd Lt. Regis E. Dietz, 28, of Pittsburgh
- 2nd Lt. Edward J. Lake, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
- 2nd Lt. Martin P. Murray, 21, o fLowell, Mass.
- 2nd Lt. William J. Shryock, 23, of Gary, Ind.
- Tech. Sgt. Robert S. Wren, 25, of Seattle
- Tech. Sgt. Hollis R. Smith, 22, of Cove, Ark.
- Staff Sgt. Berthold A. Chastain, 27, Dalton, Ga.
- Staff Sgt. Clyde L. Green, 24, Erie, Penn.
- Staff Sgt. Frederick E. Harris, 23, Medford, Mass.
- Staff Sgt. Claude A. Ray, 24, Coffeyville, Kan.
- Staff Sgt. Claude G. Tyler, 24, Landover, Md.
