Cpl. Primo Carnabuci was killed in the Korean War more than 60 years ago and now his remains are finally home.
Carnabuci's body arrived at Bradley International Airport on Tuesday afternoon aboard Delta flight 1984 and members of his family, from Old Saybrook, were there to greet the plane. It's a moment they've waited decades to see.
"He's home where he belongs now. (It's) been a long time, 60 years," Dominick Carnabuci, Primo's brother, said as he awaited the plane's arrival.
Cpl. Carnabuci joined the Army in 1948 and was killed while serving in the Korean War in November 1950, after his regiment was attacked and overwhelmed by Chinese forces.
He earned the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart for his service.
His remains were recently found during a gold-mining operation in North Korea and DNA testing confirmed his identity.
"It's a bittersweet day and we're just glad to have him home. He's definitely a hero and maybe we can get some closure," Primo Carnabuci's niece, Ruth Carnabuci, said.
In a plane-side ceremony called the Dignified Transfer of Remains, Carnabuci's family looked on as members of the Connecticut Army National Guard walked the casket off the plane, passed by a military honor guard and loaded the casket into a waiting hearse.
Some Korean War veterans were also there to welcome Carnabuci home.
"It's a great honor and I wish the school kids could be out here to see this. A lot of them don't even know what the Korean War was," said Jim Shelmerdine, the president of the Korean War Veterans of Connecticut.
Cpl. Carnabuci's remains left the airport with a military escort, his casket covered with an American flag, and were taken to a funeral home in Old Saybrook.
He will be buried on Thursday with full military honors.
"It's a proud thing. A lot of people care," said Dominick Carnabuci.
"He's home now, a Connecticut hero," said Shelmerdine.
According to the Department of Defense, more than 8000 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War and 83,615 people remain unaccounted from all wars since World War II.
