Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Bodies of pilots from Laos id'd

|
|
 
  
Published: Aug. 4, 2007 at 9:53 PM

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Defense Department has announced it has identified the remains of two Air Force pilots from Texas who crashed in Laos during the Vietnam War.

James Ayres of Pampa and Charles Stratton of Dallas had been missing since their plane exploded during a bombing run in 1971, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Both men were lieutenant colonels in the U.S. Air Force.

Dorothy Davidson of Abilene, Ayres' sister, told the newspaper she has been impressed by the efforts the government has put into recovering and identifying the bodies of those missing in Vietnam and Laos.

"We're just so grateful to have closure and to know that he and his co-pilot died at the point of impact," Davidson said.

The site of the crash was located in 2001 with help from local residents. Teams involved in the recovery effort visited the site six times, excavating for human remains.

The department lists 357 U.S. fliers and soldiers still missing in Laos and 1,365 in Vietnam.

Topics: Charles Stratton
© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
The Tibetan Moniam Festival in China Super Bowl XLVI ticker tape victory parade The making of the Oscars
The Chicago Auto Show The Most Desirable Women of 2012 Tu Bishvat Migron settlement
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 25
Meryl Streep and Colin Firth attend the "BAFTA" ceremony in London
View Caption
fark
All hail the Wheelbarrow of Resurrection
Need some extra cash to help pay your mortgage? Turn your house into an ugly ass billboard
74-year-old man conducting survey on penis size unfortunately chooses two undercover cops as subjects...
This is the busiest week of the year for: (a) Hallmark stores. (b) Flower shops. (c) Private investigators...
At 4:00 PM, hundreds of Philadelphians (including the mayor) will attempt to break the Guinness...
China: All the loans we took out to grown our economy at 10% a year are going bad. We are just going...