The Pentagon has identified the remains of two members of a four-person Army Air Forces crew that went missing in action on March 27, 1944, while trying to complete a C-46 resupply mission over the Himalayas. The two identified are 1st. Lt. Herbert W. Evans of Rapid City, S.D., and Pfc. Gerald L. Rugers, Jr. of Tacoma, Wash. Group remains of all four crew members—including Capt. Douglas R. Wight of Westfield, N.J., and Cpl. John W. Hanlon of Arnett, Okla.—will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. On the date they went missing, the last radio contact was the crew’s call for a bearing as their aircraft flew over the mountain range. In 2001, Chinese officials notified the US that wreckage of a World War II era aircraft had been discovered in a remote corner of Tibet, where investigators ultimately discovered remains and personal effects.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
