(LEX 18) After 70 years, a Kentucky family will have their chance to give their fallen hero a proper goodbye.
During the Korean War, Joe Elmore was declared Missing In Action. Thanks to DNA from his sister’s matching his remains, he was able to be identified. Elmore was killed in combat in the Korean War in 1950 and his body wasn’t recovered for decades.
On Wednesday, more than 25 of his family members will head to Nashville as his body returns. They’ll be escorted back to Albany, Kentucky, where Elmore will be laid to rest, which is something his only remaining sibling has hoped for over the years.
"I’m pretty much an emotional wreck. Watching her go through this has been really hard. I’ve watched her bury all of her siblings, and her mother," said Elmore’s niece, Debbie Jo Bowlin. "At 83-years-old, she’s ready to reunite with her brother tomorrow."
Joe Elmore’s remains are being accompanied to Nashville by his great-great nephew, Nathaniel, a United State Marine.
He will be laid to rest this weekend.
