Remains of missing Korean War veteran return home after 71 years

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The remains of 17-year-old Korean War veteran Army Cpl. David B. Milano returned to the United States on Tuesday after he went missing more than 71 years ago.

Milano's remains arrived Tuesday at the Salt Lake City International Airport, where his family watched as his casket was met by an Honor Guard made up of members of the Utah National Guard.

Honor Guard made up of members of the Utah National Guard conduct an Honorable Carry of Army Cpl. David B. Milano's remains at the Salt Lake City International Airport, April 26, 2022. (Ileen Kennedy/Utah National Guard Public Affairs)

Milano was born in Chicago, Illinois, on Dec. 23, 1932, and served in Korea with Company D, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency or DPAA.

Milano was missing until he was identified on April 14, 2020, after North Korea returned 55 boxes of American soldier remains to the U.S. following former President Trump's summit with leader Kim Jong-Un in 2018.

Surviving members of Army Cpl. David B. Milano's family await the arrival of his casket on the tarmac of Salt Lake City International Airport. (Ileen Kennedy/Utah National Guard Public Affairs)

"It was an honor to watch it," Kevin David Jordan, Milano's nephew, told Fox 13 of the arrival ceremony. "I was choked up, you know, very choked up. We all had tears in our eyes."

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"It's a miracle, it's unreal what we've all experienced," Jordan continued. "When we first got the news, it set in. And now, with the plane landing and the coffin coming off the plane, for me, that's when it really hit me hard."

Honor Guard made up of members of the Utah National Guard conduct an Honorable Carry of Army Cpl. David B. Milano's remains at the Salt Lake City International Airport, April 26, 2022. (Ileen Kennedy/Utah National Guard Public Affairs)

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"I felt it. I felt it in my heart and in my soul," he said. "We were united again."

Jordan, who said the family has finally gotten some closure, explained how they decided to bring Milano's remains to Utah, where his family relocated.

Milano will be buried next to his mother, sister and brother-in-law at Evergreen Memorial Park in Ogden, Utah, on Friday.