Defense Department officials announced Wednesday that they have identified the remains of two airmen missing in action from the Vietnam War. They are: Col. James E. Dennany, 34, of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Maj. Robert L. Tucci, 27, of Detroit. DOD has returned their remains to their families; they will be buried with full military honors Friday in the Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery. On Nov. 12, 1969, enemy anti-aircraft fire reportedly downed the F-4D that Dennany and Tucci were flying over Laos while escorting an AC-130 gunship during a night strike mission. The intensity of anti-aircraft fire prevented a formal search for them. Based on human remains and artifacts received from villagers near Ban Soppeng, Laos, in 1999, joint US-Lao teams conducted three excavations between 1999 and 2009 that recovered more wreckage and human remains that led to the identification of both airmen.
The ongoing government shutdown has not slowed progress on the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, a congressional official said, correcting a previous statement from lawmakers about the secretive program.
