The Defense Department has announced that the remains of nine airmen missing in action since 1968 have been recovered and returned to their families. These airmen were buried with full military honors June 10 at Arlington National Cemetery. They are: Col. William H. Mason, Camden, Ark.; Lt. Col. Jerry L. Chambers, Muskogee, Okla.; Maj. William T. McPhail, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Maj. Thomas B. Mitchell, Littleton, Colo.; CMSgt. John Q. Adam, Bethel, Kan.; CMSgt. Calvin C. Glover, Steubenville, Ohio; CMSgt. Thomas E. Knebel, Midway, Ark.; CMSgt. Melvin D. Rash, Yorktown, Va.; and MSgt. Gary Pate, Brooks, Ga. The airmen were aboard a C-130A transport that went down May 22, 1968, during an evening flare mission over northern Salavan Province, Laos. Four excavations were held in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, between 1989 and 2008 that led to the recovery and subsequent identification of their remains.
The Air Force could conduct an operation like Israel's successful air campaign against Iran's nuclear sites, military leadership and air defenses, but readiness issues would make it risky, airpower experts said. Limited spare parts and training, low mission capable rates and few flying hours would put a drag on USAF's…