SALT LAKE CITY — Over 71 years after being killed in action during the Korean War, the remains of a U.S. soldier were brought to Utah to be near family.
The remains Army Cpl. David B. Milano arrived at Salt Lake City International Airport on Tuesday, days ahead of his burial in Ogden later this week.
Cpl. Milano was a 17-year-old from Chicago serving in Korea with Company D, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division when his unit was attached by the Chosin Reservoir on Dec. 2, 1950.
Milano's remains could not be recovered after the battle, but were finally accounted for on April 14, 2020 after North Korean turned over boxes containing the remains of American service members.
With his living relatives in Utah, the decision was made to bring his remains to the state to be buried close to family.
"We're finally getting closure," said Milano's nephew Kevin Jordan.
Kevin Jordan, his brother David and sister Delores Pitton said their mother, Milano's sister, spoke about their uncle all their lives.
"With him coming home, it would have been more than joy filled for her to have experienced this," explained David Jordan.
All three family members were on the airport tarmac to take home their uncle after decades of uncertainty.
"It's a miracle, it's unreal what we've all experienced," said Kevin. "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.
"I felt it. I felt it in my heart and in my soul.
"We were united again."
