The Department of Defense announced Friday morning that officials have identified the remains of two U.S. servicemen, including a Utahn, who were missing from the Vietnam War.

On June 26, 1968, Air Force Maj. Robert F. Woods, Salt Lake City, was flying a reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, when his 0-2A Skymaster aircraft crashed in a remote mountainous area, the DOD reported. Search efforts did not find any sign of Woods or Capt. Johnnie C. Cornelius, an Arizona man who was flying with Woods.

Efforts have been ongoing since 1988 to find both men and between 2000 and 2004, teams excavated the crash site four times, recovering human remains, personal effects and life support materials. Last year two former North Vietnamese soldiers said the two were buried near the site. And earlier this year the burial site was confirmed and additional remains of Woods and Cornelius were recovered.

---

E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com