NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense

No. 352-05

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Apr 12, 2005

Media Contact: (703)697-5131

Public/Industry Contact: (703)428-0711

WWII Missing in Action Serviceman Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced

today that the remains of an Army Air Forces crewman have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with military honors.

Staff Sgt. Robert W. McKee of Garvey, Calif., will be buried in

Arlington National Cemetery April 12.

On Dec. 17, 1944, McKee was an aerial gunner on an 11-member crew of a B-24L *Liberator* that took off from Pantanella, Italy, on a mission to bomb enemy

targets near Blechhammer, Germany. The aircraft crashed over Hungary, near the

small towns of Böhönye and Felsosegesd, with the loss of two crewmen including

McKee. The other nine were able to safely parachute from the aircraft. Following

the war, the remains of the other unaccounted-for crewman were found in a cemetery in Felsosegesd.

Following the war, remains from an American aircraft crash near Vienna,

Austria, were found buried with McKee's military identification tag. But the

remains were identified as those of another flyer. Further analysis revealed that

McKee had flown on the same plane and had lost his identification tag, most likely

on that aircraft.

In 1992 an undertaker recovered remains believed to be those of an

American in the Böhönye, Hungary, cemetery but they could not be associated with a specific incident. DPMO analysts obtained information from a Hungarian researcher which indicated that the remains might be associated with McKee's loss. Aerial gunner's wings were found in the grave, as well as other items worn by U.S. bomber crews in 1944.

Scientists of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the Armed Forces

DNA Identification Laboratory used a number of forensic tools including

mitochondrial DNA to confirm McKee's identity, matching his DNA with that of two

known maternal relatives.

Of the 88,000 Americans missing from all conflicts, 78,000 are from

World War II.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to

account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call

(703) 699-1169.

That is so cool. It would make a great CSI show with a twist. I was confused when it mentioned the crash in Vienna until it mentioned the lost his Dogtags.

Vienna was heavily defended by flak towers. Here is a link that has photos of them still in the city.

Flak Towers of Vienna (Text in German but 14 great color photos)

Steve