LATROBE, Pa. — The remains of an Air Force pilot from Pennsylvania whose plane crashed off Croatia during World War II have been laid to rest.
The Tribune Review reports the remains of Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Eugene P. Ford were interred Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Also interred were ashes of Vietnam veteran Richard Stanton Ford, the son the pilot never met.
The 21-year-old Ford, of Latrobe, was the pilot of a B-24J aircraft known as the Tulsamerican.
On Dec. 17, 1944, the Tulsamerican was the lead aircraft targeting oil refineries in Germany when it came under attack.
It was heavily damaged, forcing Ford to crash-land in the Adriatic Sea. Seven crew members survived and were rescued. Three, including Ford, were killed. Their remains could not be recovered until 2017.
