According to a Nov. 9 Pentagon press release, DOD has identified the remains of Col. Charles J. Scharf, of San Diego, who piloted a F-4C that was hit by enemy fire and went down in flames on Oct. 1, 1965, on a mission over North Vietnam. Other aircraft on the mission saw one parachute as the F-4 went down but after circling the area made no radio or visual contact. Several excavations began in 1992 and ended in 2004, producing remains, such as personal effects and a plastic denture tooth. A DNA test using a relative was inconclusive, but DOD researchers were able to extract DNA from gummed adhesive on letters Scharf sent to his wife.
As the Air Force readied for its June 21-22 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the service was also putting its Agile Combat Employment strategy into action, dispersing combat aircraft and Airmen from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in preparation for a possible Iranian retaliatory attack. Some defense experts say…
