OGDEN, Utah — A Korean War soldier’s remains were finally laid to rest in Ogden Friday.
Army Cpl. David Milano was reported missing in action in December 1950 when his unit was attacked near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea.
WATCH: Remains of soldier killed in Korean War brought to Utah
Milano, who died at age 17, was finally accounted for in 2020 after North Korea turned over boxes containing the remains of American service members.
This week, David Jordan and his family were brought together at last with the uncle they never met.
“There's a great deal of joy being here today," he said. "This has been long time coming.”
Although none of the living relatives knew Milano personally, his sister kept his memory alive, said Jordan.
“He was a protector of my mother," he said. "My mother was blind at the age of 12, and so he had that extra sense of being a caretaker for my mother. They were about 18 months apart in age and he was younger, but kindness was always the thing.”
Milano’s remains are now buried at Evergreen Memorial Park. When Jordan's mother bought the burial sites at the cemetery, she bought four plots: one for her mother, one for her father, one for herself and the fourth one was for Uncle David when he returned home.
“The last day my mother, when she was alive, my brother and myself, we reassured her, we are keeping this plot open," he said. "So when David gets returned, he has his place next to her.
"So we knew it was just a matter of time.”
John Cole, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who fought near where Milano was fighting, presented the soldier’s family with an Ambassador for the Peace Medal; a thank you from the government of South Korea for helping to save their nation.
“It’s just very important they be accounted for, not forgotten," said Cole. “I don't think they'll ever have it completely resolved, but it's important because it's closure for the family."
