The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman from World War II have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Army 1st Lt. John E. Terpning, of Mount Prospect, Ill., will be buried on April 3, in Arlington National Cemetery. On May 7, 1944, Terpning was a pilot of a B-24D Liberator that departed Nadzab, New Guinea on a bombing mission. Due to mechanical troubles, the B-24D was delayed in departing the airbase and was unable to join the formation after takeoff. The aircraft, Terpning, nor the nine other crewmen aboard the plane were seen after takeoff. In 1946, the War Department declared all ten men to be presumed dead.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 14:19:40 +0000