Wisconsin airman’s remains among WWII crew identified

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin airman who was part of a 10-man bomber crew missing in World War II will be buried with full military honors next week.

The remains of Sgt. James T. Blong of Port Washington and the other crewmembers will be buried as a group in a single casket Wednesday in Arlington National Cemetery.

Blong’s crew was on a bombing mission over Berlin in April 1944 when their B-24J Liberator crashed near East Meitze, Germany. There were no survivors.

German forces buried the remains of Blong and two other airmen near Hannover, Germany. In 1946, Blong’s remains were exhumed and reburied in a U.S. military cemetery in Belgium.

In 2005, a team excavated the crash site and recovered more remains. DNA was used to help identify the remains.