More remains identified as U.S. troops killed in Korean War
The U.S. military says it has identified the remains of three more Americans killed during the Korean War, even as efforts to recover additional remains have stalled amid souring relations with North Korea.
Officials say one family has been notified and notification of the other two families is pending.
So far, six Americans have been identified from 55 boxes of what North Korean officials say are remains.
U.S. officials have estimated that between 50 and 100 individuals could likely be identified, with about 80 of them expected to be Americans and the others South Koreans fighting alongside U.S. forces.
The latest remains to be identified are those of Army Cpl. Charles S. Lawler, whose hometown hasn’t been provided. Officials say Lawler was reported missing in action on Nov. 2, 1950. AP
U.S. Marine dies after Australia exercise accident
A decorated U.S. Marine has died in Australia from injuries sustained in a military training accident.
A statement from the U.S. Marines said Lance Cpl. Hans Sandoval-Pereyra, 21, from Fairfax, Va., died on May 29 in Royal Darwin Hospital due to injuries suffered on the weekend in a tactical vehicle accident.
The accident occurred during a routine training exercise at an Australian military facility near Darwin, in the country’s far north, the statement said.
Sandoval-Pereyra, an expeditionary airfield systems technician assigned to the Marines’ Aviation Combat Element, had received honors including the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
One other Marine received minor injuries from the accident and was released from the hospital.
The cause of the accident is being investigated.
“We are saddened by the loss of Lance Corporal Sandoval-Pereyra,” said Col. Russ Boyce, commanding officer for Marine Rotational Force — Darwin.
“He was a beloved member of our community and our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends,” he said. “We are extremely grateful to our Australian partners for their valiant efforts to save this young Marine’s life.”
About 2,500 U.S. Marines are stationed in Darwin as part of an annual rotation program.
The accident follows the death of three other U.S. Marines in 2017 when their aircraft crashed into the sea off Queensland state during a training exercise. AP
Four F-35 jets make unplanned landing at Burlington airport
Four F-35 fighter jets have made an unplanned landing Vermont’s Burlington International Airport due to weather and refueling issues.
Mynbc5.com reports the Vermont Air National Guard said the jets landed at about 8 a.m., May 29. The jets were on their way to an overseas mission.
The airport expects the jets to remain in Burlington for a day.
F-35 jets are expected to be based at the airport this fall.
Officials said the stop was not in any way related to the May 29 expected release of the Federal Aviation Administration’s latest noise exposure map at the airport.
Military reports show the planes will be significantly louder than the F-16 jets they will replace. AP
Airlines group: Boeing jet won’t return before August
The Boeing 737 Max jet that was grounded after two deadly crashes will not fly before mid-August at the earliest, the global airline trade group said May 29.
The spokesman for the International Air Transport Association, Anthony Concil, said the group estimates the planes will remain grounded for at least another 10-12 weeks, though regulators like the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will have final say.
The plane was grounded in mid-March after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Max. A Lion Air Max crashed in October off the Indonesian coast. In all, 346 people died.
Concil said IATA’s estimate is based on comments from U.S. carriers that they wouldn’t be scheduling commercial flights of the planes through August, and that the FAA hasn’t yet provided a timeline on decisions that could allow the planes to resume service.
Concil spoke from Seoul, where IATA is preparing its annual meeting. IATA has 290 members, representing 82 percent of world commercial cargo and passenger traffic.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, meanwhile, declined on May 29 to give a timetable.
Speaking at an investor conference in New York, he said he hopes all regulators will clear the plane for flying when the FAA does, “but there may be some international authorities that operate on a different schedule.”
Boeing is working on changes to flight-control software and additional pilot training but has not submitted a formal application yet to the FAA. AP