Documents related to the May 22, 1968, crash of a C-130 in Laos has led Randi Knebel, the 83-year-old mother of CMSgt. Thomas E. Knebel, missing since the Vietnam War, to believe her son died in the crash. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command has not found human remains for Knebel, his mother believes a marble recovered from the crash site belonged to Knebel, reports the Baxter Bulletin. JPAC has plans next year for a memorial service honoring the transport crew, at least one of which has been identified—CMSgt. John Q. Adam, whose remains were buried last month. According to a report on TaskForceOmega.com and another report on POWNetwork.org other personnel missing from the C-130 crash were Jerry L. Chambers, Calvin C. Glover, William H. Mason, William T. McPhail, Thomas B. Mitchell, Gary Pate, and Melvin D. Rash.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.