A team from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, including 17 graduate students, professors, and alumni, recently traveled west of Paris, France, to search for American pilots missing from World War II. The project was led by Bill Belcher, an associate professor of anthropology with experience as a forensic anthropologist for the U.S. Department of Defense. The work was conducted in partnership with the Department of Defense and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine.
Belcher stated that about 26,000 individuals from World War II remain missing but may be recoverable. He noted that these projects offer students practical experience in forensic anthropology. The France project is one of several annual efforts, with others ongoing in Germany. Belcher expressed interest in expanding the number of such projects.
The team, which included professors LuAnn Wandsnider and Brett Hoffman, spent about six weeks excavating the site. Their daily schedule ran from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., using screening methods to search for evidence in the soil. The work was described as physically demanding. Any evidence found will be sent to the DPAA lab at Offutt Air Force Base for analysis. The team is not allowed to share specific findings…