Bone fragments from WWII crashes returning from India

NEW DELHI -- The tiny bone fragments formally turned over to the U.S. on Wednesday carry a world of significance and perhaps closure for a few American families who lost a loved one over the mountains of India in World War II.

During a solemn ceremony Wednesday, U.S. military members paid final respects to what they believe may be the remains of crew members from a B-24 bomber and a military transport plane that crashed on supply runs from India to China over the Himalayan Mountains.

Eight people died in the B-24 crash, and a four-man Army Air Force crew was killed in a C-109 crash. It marks the first time the Defense Department's POW/MIA Accounting Agency is bringing home remains of missing military members from India.

"This is a sad duty, but it means a great deal," said Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who watched the ceremony. "Those guys whose remains are in those coffins would have wanted that, and would be proud and happy to be home, and their families, too."

Speaking to reporters flying with him to the Philippines, Carter said it also sends a message to those serving in warzone because it shows them "what we would go through for somebody who perished serving their country today."

Two bone fragments -- small enough to fit inside a sandwich bag -- along with some other artifacts from the B-24 flight were found during a U.S. excavation in the rugged mountains. Their discovery and return gives families hope the remains of the estimated 350 U.S. service members still classified as missing in India may find their way home.

According to Gary Stark, the India desk officer for the POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the B-24 -- known as Hot As Hell -- went missing with its crew of eight in January 1944. The aircraft was one of many that ran supplies from China to India, flying people and parts back and forth over what they called the Hump.

The second set of remains was turned over to the POW/MIA agency by a third party and was from the same region. The Pentagon said the remains are "possibly" related to a C-109 that crashed July 17, 1945, traveling from India to China.

After Wednesday's ceremony at the airport in New Delhi, the remains, which were put in ceremonial boxes and into flag-draped caskets, will be sent to a lab in Hawaii for DNA testing. Only then will officials know whether the fragments belong to one or two crew members.

The B-24 crash site is one of many in the mountains where U.S. aircraft went down as they tried to negotiate the harsh, jagged terrain.

Teams have tried to excavate sites before, but in 2008-2009, they found no remains.

This time, experts aided by mountaineering adventurers identified four areas to search.