A Pentagon release on May 11 confirmed an earlier news report that DOD analysts had identified the remains of an airman missing in action from World War II as those of Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Archibald Kelly of Detroit. Kelly was the navigator on a B-24J Liberator on a mission to bomb oil fields at Ploesti, Romania, struck by enemy fire on its return to its base in Italy. Eight of the 10 crewmen bailed out before the bomber crashed about 430 miles southwest of Ploesti. The rear gunner had been killed on the aircraft and his body recovered later. Another crewman saw Kelly bail out, but Kelly struck a rock cliff face. In 2005, specialists from the DOD POW/Missing Personnel Office interviewed residents of Croatia near the crash site and found one who recalled villagers buried an airman who had hit the rocks. In 2006, a DOD team excavated the site.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
