Today, Thursday, March 12th, 2015, PFC Anthony Massey, Jr. of the United States Army finally came home from the Korean War. Massey was captured at the Battle of the Chongchon River in November 28th of 1950, and died on March 31, 1951of malnutrition in POW Camp 5, located in the Pyoktong County of North Korea, which shares a northern border with China.

Massey was born on January 1st, 1928, and was decorated six times throughout his service and in death, after being reported MIA. Among these decorations was a Purple Heart, a Prisoner of War Medal, and a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.

In 1954, the United Nations carried out Operation Glory, through which the remains of UN casualties were returned after Korean War. Many of the bodies that were unidentifiable were entombed in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. Massey’s name was also inscribed on the Courts of The Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

As forensic science progressed in the decades following Operation Glory, it became possible to identify more of the unknown casualties, and among them was PFC Massey. His remains were identified on December 5th of last year.

This week, his body was transported from Honolulu, Hawaii to Mayfield, Kentucky, accompanied by a military escort. Massey will be buried with full military honors on Saturday, with a service at 2pm at Byrn Funeral Home and burial afterward at Oak Rest Cemetery.

As today’s procession passed through the court square, scores of local patriots stood along the road holding flags to show their respect for the war hero. A police escort met the convoy inside of town, and followed them to the funeral home, which was decked out in dozens of flags and hosted the Patriot Guard, as well as many servicemen who came to see the coffin inside safely. An Army detail was waiting for the hearse to arrive, and six soldiers served as pall bearers.

This story will be updated on Saturday following the service.Evan Williams