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## News Release

# Airman Missing In Action From The Vietnam War Is Identified (Rusch)

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced todaythat the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have beenidentified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is Capt. Stephen A. Rusch, U.S. Air Force, of Lambertville, N.J. He will be buried onNov. 30 at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

On March 7, 1972, Rusch was the weapons systems officer in an F-4E Phantom II aircraftattacking enemy targets in Salavan Province, Laos. The plane was the number two aircraft in aflight of two. When Rusch’s aircraft was cleared to begin its second run over enemy targets, theflight leader of the number one aircraft lost sight of Rusch’s plane and observed enemy groundfire followed by a large explosion. An immediate search was begun, but all attempts to establishradio contact and later search efforts were unsuccessful.

In 1995, a joint U.S./Lao People’s Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team, led by the JointPOW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident and interviewed severalLaotian citizens. The team surveyed the crash site identified by one of the citizens and foundaircraft wreckage.

In 2001, a U.S. citizen, acting as an intermediary for a Laotian citizen, turned over to U.S.officials a bone fragment and a photocopy of Rusch’s military identification tag. The bonefragment proved not to be from Capt. Rusch.

In 2002-2003, joint teams conducted two excavations of the crash site. The teamsrecovered human remains and non-biological evidence including U.S. coins and life supportequipment.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists fromJPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA anddental comparisons in the identification of the remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missingAmericans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

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