Remains of Minn. airman recovered in Laos
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The Defense Department has identified remains found in Laos as those of a Vietnam War Air Force pilot from Browns Valley. Cpt. Darrell Spinler will be buried next week near his hometown in western Minnesota.
Spinler's attack plane went down on June 21, 1967 along the banks of a river in Laos.
The Defense Department says villagers interviewed in 1993 said Spinler's body was on the riverbank after the crash, but said it was likely washed away later by high water. But last year, a search team conducted a full excavation of the riverbank site and found aircraft wreckage, human remains, equipment and personal effects.
Dental x-rays helped confirmed that the remains were those of Captain Spinler. Nearly 1,700 service members are still missing from the Vietnam War.
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