Pentagon forensic scientists have identified the remains of Maj. Richard G. Elzinga, of Shedd, Ore., an Air Force pilot who went missing in action on March 26, 1970, along with his co-pilot, when his O-1G Bird Dog failed to return from a familiarization flight over Laos. They have returned his remains to his family; his burial, with full military honors, will take place Friday at Arlington National Cemetery. Search and rescue crews looked for Elzinga and his co-pilot in vain for two days after controllers lost radio contact with their aircraft. Between 1994 and 2009, DOD teams found Elzinga’s remains during on-site investigations and several field surveys with Laotian counterparts. (DOD release)
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…