Remains Of W.Va. Airman Who Died In WWII Identified
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The remains of a West Virginia airman and two other servicemen who died in Europe during World War II have been identified.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Thursday that Sgt. John Kalausich's remains have been identified. A memorial service and burial for Kalausich will take place Feb. 23 in Charleston.
On March 21, 1945, Kalausich's bomber was struck by anti-aircraft artillery while trying to obstruct German troop movements in preparation for the Allied crossing of the Rhine River. He was 19.
In 2016, a German researcher reported a crash site in a horse paddock. Scientists used DNA, dental and anthropological analyses and other evidence to identify Kalausich's remains.
The remains of the pilot, 2nd Lt. Lynn W. Hadfield, and another crewman, Sgt. Vernon L. Hamilton, were also identified.
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