WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The remains of a Vietnam War naval fighter pilot who was shot down in 1966 have been identified, allowing the military to remove him from its list of servicemen missing in action.
The Sacramento Bee reports that 26-year-old Richard Laws was presumed dead after his plane was shot down in North Vietnam.
But because DNA typing technology was not available until recent years, the remains recovered from the crash site could not be confirmed as those of Laws.
The West Sacramento native's family will now gather May 10 at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. for a funeral to be held 47 years after Laws' death.
His widow Karen Laws Engelke, who has travelled to the crash site, said the upcoming services are important to the family.
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Information from: The Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com
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