An airman who was killed when a C-124 Globemaster II crashed in 1952? has been recovered and will be returned to his family. Airman 3rd Class Loyd L. Matthews was one of 52 people on board the C-124 when it crashed en route to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, from McChord AFB, Wash., according to a release. Search parties were not able to find or recover any of the service members in November or early December of 1952. However, in June 2012 an Alaska National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter flying a training mission over the Colony Glacier, near Mount Gannett, saw aircraft wreckage, which was determined to be that of the C-124. Crews were able to recover artifacts in the summer of 2013 and during a short time period each summer since then. Matthews’ remains will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.