Remains of four soldiers missing in action from the Vietnam War recovered

It has recovered and identified the remains of four soldiers missing in action from the Vietnam War, the U. S. Defense Department said on Thursday.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Kenneth L. Stancil, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Chief Warrant Officer Jesse D. Phelps, Boise, Idaho; Spc. Thomas Rice Jr., Spartanburg, S. C.; and Spc. Donald C. Grella, Laurel, Neb.; were aboard a UH-1D Huey helicopter that failed to return from a mission over Gia Lai province in South Vietnam Dec. 28, 1965, the department said.

They had been sent to pick up special forces’ soldiers.

It was further notified by the department that the crash site couldn't be found at the time and it wasn't until 2006 that a search team interviewed two local villagers and one said he had shot down a U. S. helicopter in 1965. The villagers led the team to the crash site where wreckage was found.

Another team in March 2009 excavated the area and recovered human remains and other artifacts, including an identification tag from Grella.

The identifications were made on the basis of dental records and other forensic techniques.

A group burial with full military honors would be conducted for the four servicemen on Friday at Arlington National Cemetery, the department's POW/Missing Personnel Office said in a release.

The department also said that a burial for Rice's individual remains also was to be held. Stancil, Phelps and Grella were buried individually last year. (With Inputs from Agencies)