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bobdina
08-01-2009, 02:43 PM
Last Aussi MIAs From Vietnam War Found
July 30, 2009
Agence France-Presse

An Australian search team has found the remains of the country's last two servicemen missing since the Vietnam War, 39 years after their aircraft crashed in thick jungle, officials said today.

Investigators uncovered the remains after combing rugged and mountainous terrain near the Laos border where a wrecked Royal Australian Air Force plane was found in April, Defense Personnel Minister Greg Combet said.

"Relatives of the two crew members have been advised of the discovery and Air Force will continue to keep them updated," Combet said.

"These airmen gave their lives in the service of their nation. I hope finding the remains of the airmen will bring some comfort to the families."

The aircraft, flown by Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver, both 24, went missing on November 3, 1970.

More than 500 Australians died in the war, which also cost at least three million Vietnamese and 58,000 American lives by the time it ended on April 30, 1975.

"This is an excellent result for the investigation team, and the cooperation of the Vietnamese authorities has been exceptional and highly valued by the team and the government of Australia," Combet said.

"Invaluable assistance has been given by a number of former North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers and their commanders, as well as many local villagers.

"Their compassion and commitment to assisting this vital mission is greatly appreciated."

Herbert and Carver had completed a mission and were returning to base when their Canberra bomber disappeared over the central province of Quang Nam, never to be seen again until an investigative team found its wreckage in April.

Australia this month sent a team including a forensic dental expert, an air crash investigator and a pathologist to carry out an archaeological dig at the remote and heavily wooded site.

Combet said details on returning the remains had not been worked out with the Vietnamese government.

He added that the families of Herbert, from Glenelg in South Australia, and Carver, from Toowoomba in Queensland, would decide on their burial.

GTFPDQ
08-02-2009, 03:07 PM
Great news, determination to find these fallen heroes must have been so high they could not fail.

Glad that the Digger is going home.