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Remains of Hoosier WWII airman finally coming home

Robert McIntosh will be buried in Tipton Aug. 13
Posted at 7:50 PM, Aug 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-05 19:50:15-04

TIPTON, Ind. -- The remains of a World War II airman will finally be returned to his family for burial in Tipton, Indiana.

Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Robert L. McIntosh, 21, will be buried in his hometown of Tipton.

McIntosh was assigned to the 27th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, on May 12, 1944, when he was sent on a strafing missions against an enemy airfield in Piacenza, Italy.

Due to poor weather conditions, the flight leader missed the intended target and began flying south. Following a brief air battle over Bologna, visibility worsened and pilots were ordered to climb above the overcast. McIntosh's aircraft was observed diving through the clouds and was not seen again.

In August 2015, a recovery team excavated a crash site in Santa Cristina, Italy, determined to be McIntosh's. Subsequent positive identification of McIntosh's remains was made by scientists in the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory.

McIntosh will be buried in Tipton on August 13 with full military honors.