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Saudi Culture Minister Meets French Counterpart

Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan and his French counterpart Rima Abdul Malak in Riyadh. (SPA)
Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan and his French counterpart Rima Abdul Malak in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Culture Minister Meets French Counterpart

Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan and his French counterpart Rima Abdul Malak in Riyadh. (SPA)
Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan and his French counterpart Rima Abdul Malak in Riyadh. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Culture and Governor of the Royal Commission for AlUla Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan held an official meeting with the French Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, who is on an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Prince Badr emphasized the strong bilateral relations between the two countries across various domains.

The two officials reviewed the cultural relations in different fields and discussed strategies to further enhance them for the mutual benefit of both countries.

The two countries signed an agreement in 2021 to promote cooperation and cultural exchange in a variety of sectors, including architecture and design, heritage, visual arts, performing arts, films, and literature. They also signed a historic agreement in 2018 to develop AlUla governorate’s cultural and heritage features, and launch joint strategic projects and joint scientific initiatives relating to archeological research and excavation in the Kingdom.

Rakan bin Ibrahim Al-Touq, undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, and Eng. Fahd bin Abdulrahman Al-Kanaan, general supervisor of cultural affairs and international relations, also attended the meeting.

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World War II Sergeant Whose Plane Was Shot Down over Germany Honored with Reburial in California

This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
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World War II Sergeant Whose Plane Was Shot Down over Germany Honored with Reburial in California

This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)

After 80 years, a World War II sergeant killed in Germany has returned home to California.

On Thursday, community members lined the roads to honor US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport to a burial home in Riverside, California, The AP reported.

Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany, according to Honoring Our Fallen, an organization that provides support to families of fallen military and first responders.

One of the surviving crewmembers saw the plane was on fire, then fell in a steep dive before exploding on the ground. After the crash, German troops buried the remains of one soldier at a local cemetery, while the other six crewmembers, including Banta, were unaccounted for.

Banta was married and had four sisters and a brother. He joined the military because of his older brother Floyd Jack Banta, who searched for Donald Banta his whole life but passed away before he was found.

Donald Banta's niece was present at the planeside honors ceremony at the Ontario airport coordinated by Honoring Our Fallen.

The remains from the plane crash were initially recovered in 1952, but they could not be identified at the time and were buried in Belgium. Banta was accounted for Sept. 26, 2023, following efforts by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency within the US Department of Defense and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.