The Pentagon has identified the remains of two service members missing in action from the Vietnam War. A1C George W. Long of Medicine, Kan., and Army Capt. Warren R. Orr of Kewanee, Ill. The men were part of a C-130 Hercules crew evacuating Vietnamese citizens from a camp near Da Nang, South Vietnam on May 12, 1968. During takeoff, the aircrew reported encountering heavy ground fire, then a forward air controller reported seeing the transport aircraft explode shortly after leaving the runway. Investigations in 1985 and 1991 finally led to a 1993 visit to a crash site and 1994 excavation of human and equipment remains. Subsequent DNA testing and dental comparisons aided the identification of the two men.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.