Missing World War II Airmen identified Published May 9, 2006 WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office, or DPMO, announced today that two members of a four-man Army Air Forces crew missing in action from World War II have been identified. They are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors. The crew is pilot Capt. Douglas Wight of Westfield, N.J.; co-pilot 1st Lt. Herbert Evans of Rapid City, S.D.; crew chief Cpl. John Hanlon of Arnett, Okla.; and radio operator Pfc. Gerald Rugers Jr., of Tacoma, Wash. Lieutenant Evans and Private Rugers were individually identified, while group remains of all four will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, May 9. On March 27, 1944, a C-46 Commando crewed by these four Airmen departed a base in Kunming, China, en route to Sookerating, India. They were part of the massive allied resupply missions flying over the Himalayan Mountains, referred to as the "Hump." While en route, one of the crewmen called out for a bearing, suggesting the aircraft was lost. There was no further communication with the crew. The aircraft never reached its destination and searches failed to locate the crash site. Officials from the People's Republic of China notified the U.S. in early 2001 that the wreckage of an American World War II aircraft had been found on Meiduobai Mountain in a remote area of Tibet. The following year, a joint U.S.-P.R.C. team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC, excavated the site. They found human remains, aircraft debris and personal items related to the crew. JPAC scientists and Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory specialists used mitochondrial DNA as one of the forensic tools to help identify the remains. Laboratory analysis of dental remains also confirmed their identities.For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO website at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703)-699-1169.