LATROBE, Pa. (AP) - The remains of an Air Force pilot from Pennsylvania whose plane crashed off the coast of Croatia during World War II are coming home.
The Defense Department's POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Wednesday that the remains of Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Eugene P. Ford will be buried on Dec. 4 in Arlington National Cemetery.
The 21-year-old Ford, of Latrobe, was the pilot of a B-24J aircraft known as the Tulsamerican.
On Dec. 17, 1944, the Tulsamerican was the lead aircraft targeting oil refineries at Odertal, Germany, when it came under attack.
It was heavily damaged, forcing Ford to crash-land in the Adriatic Sea off what is now Croatia. Seven crew members survived and were rescued. Three, including Ford, were killed. Their remains could not be recovered until 2017.
Ford's remains were identified in January.
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