Veteran's remains return to U.S.

The remains of an Air Force pilot from Georgia who was killed during a Vietnam War mission in Laos will be returned to his family for burial 35 years after his death.

Major John L. Carroll of Decatur was flying a forward air controller mission over Laos, on November 7th, 1972, when his plane was hit by enemy fire and forced to land. The Department of Defense said today that U.S. helicopters tried to rescue the 32-year-old Carroll, but intense enemy fire forced them away. One pilot saw that Carroll had been fatally wounded. He was buried by local villagers.

Earlier this year, the burial site was excavated and his remains were recovered. Carroll is to be buried with full military honors on November 13th at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

U.S. House approves Norwood honor

The United States House has voted unanimously to rename the Veterans Affairs medical center in Augusta after the late Rep. Charlie Norwood. Lawmakers say it's a fitting way to honor the Augusta Republican and Vietnam War veteran who focused much of his 12-year congressional career on health care. Norwood, a dentist before winning his congressional seat in 1994, died Feb. 13 at age 65 after suffering from lung disease and cancer. A captain in the Vietnam War, Norwood was a member of the Army's dental corps and helped develop operating procedures for combat treatment that are still in use today. He became well-known for his efforts to pass a "patients' bill of rights" aimed at giving consumers better access to care. The bill now goes to the Senate.