Remains Of WWII Pilot From Latrobe Recovered, Set For Burial
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LATROBE, Pa. (AP) - The remains of an Air Force pilot from Pennsylvania whose plane crashed off the coast of Croatia during World War II have been recovered.
The Defense Department's POW/MIA Accounting Agency says the remains of Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Eugene P. Ford will be buried on Dec. 4 in Arlington National Cemetery.
Twenty-one-year-old Ford, of Latrobe, was the pilot of a B-24J aircraft known as the Tulsamerican.
On Dec. 17, 1944, the Tulsamerican was the lead aircraft targeting oil refineries at Odertal, Germany when they came under attack.
The Tulsamerican sustained heavy damage, forcing Ford to crash land in the Adriatic Sea, off what's now Croatia. Seven crewmembers survived and were rescued. Three, including Ford, were killed in the crash. Their remains were unable to be recovered until 2017.
Ford's remains were identified in January.
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