August 8, 2016

Pilot's Remains To Return To Tipton 72 Years After Crash

Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Robert McIntosh's P-38 Lightning, like the one shown here, crashed in Italy in 1944. - U.S. Army Air Forces/public domain

Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Robert McIntosh's P-38 Lightning, like the one shown here, crashed in Italy in 1944.

U.S. Army Air Forces/public domain

TIPTON, Ind. (AP) — The remains of a fighter pilot from central Indiana whose aircraft disappeared more than 72 years ago have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Friday that remains of Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Robert McIntosh of Elwood have been identified after the wreckage of his fighter plane was discovered in Santa Cristina, Italy, in 2013.

The 21-year-old McIntosh was returning with his squadron from a strafing mission against an enemy airfield in Piacenza, Italy, on May 12, 1944, when his single-seat P-38 Lightning aircraft went missing.

Young-Nichols Funeral Home said his remains are expected to return to Tipton on Tuesday. A public funeral will be held Saturday, Aug. 13, in the Tipton High School auditorium.

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