New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary joins WWII excavation in Italy

An excavation team from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s Michael and Sara Moskau Institute of Archaeology participated in a research project in central Italy during June and July. The mission focused on investigating a site believed to be associated with a crashed World War II aircraft and a lost American pilot.

The project was a collaborative effort involving the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), a U.S. Department of Defense agency dedicated to recovering and identifying missing American personnel from past conflicts. The excavation team also included archaeologists from LSU New Orleans, Tulane University, and staff from The National WWII Museum.

Jim Parker, executive director of the institute, noted that the trip provided students with essential practical experience in excavation techniques to help them become qualified archaeologists.