ELK CREEK, Neb. (AP) — The Pentagon says the remains of a Nebraska fighter pilot missing since World War II have been found in Germany.
The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Friday that the remains of U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Alvin Beethe, of Elk Creek, will be laid to rest on June 8 in Arlington National Cemetery outside the nation's capital.
Officials say Beethe was flying a P-38 Lightning during a mission on Nov. 26, 1944, when it crashed near Morschenich, Germany. He was reported as killed in action.
U.S. officials learned in 2008 that the crash site had been found. In June 2013 the site was excavated and human remains and aircraft wreckage were recovered.
Confirmation of Beethe's remains included two forms of DNA analysis.
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