The final resting site of a memorial to the 40 US soldiers killed in June 1943 in a B-17C Flying Fortress crash in Bakers Creek, Australia, remains in limbo. The Washington Post reports that the Army recently rejected proposals to place the granite memorial stone, which was donated by Australia and has been located at the Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C., at Arlington National Cemetery or nearby Ft. Myer in Virginia. According to the Post, the Army said it will not place commemorative monuments in Arlington without Congressional authorization and instead views the Air Force’s offer to house the stone at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Ohio as the best solution. The B-17 was ferrying troops that had been on rest and recuperation leave back to the frontlines in New Guinea. Only one person survived the crash, which remained classified until 1958.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
