The remains of a Vermont airman and eight others missing in action since a World War II mission over Germany have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial.
Staff Sergeant Robert L. Cotey, of Vergennes, was among the men aboard a B-24J Liberator on a mission to bomb a German aircraft factory near Bernburg, Germany in 1944. The plane crashed. In 2001, a group of German citizens learned of a potential crash site south of Westeregeln in 2001.
Scientists used dental records, DNA and other tools to identify the remains. Martin Casey, of Vergennes, a friend of Cotey’s, says it restores his faith in government to find out they are actually pursuing these men that were lost and returning them home.