CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. – A local family is celebrating their loved one's life decades after his death.
The remains of a U.S. Marine considered "missing in action" during the Vietnam War are finally coming home.
It was 51 years ago Saturday that Lance Cpl. John Killen, known as Jacky, was lost to the war. He was considered MIA after his helicopter was shot down.
For decades, the 18-year-old's body was missing.
"All these years, you know, nobody knew anything and then we found out," said Killen's sister, Becky Bailey.
Bailey said just recently, the family got word that Killen's body was found. They could now bring him home to Georgia, providing some much-needed closure.
"I never got to meet him, but I feel like he's with us every single day now," said Killen's brother-in-law, Robert Bailey.
Loved ones gathered to honor Killen in a celebration they've anticipated for years.
"I wouldn't have it any other way, and it's got sad moments and it's got -- it's a unique situation for me," Becky Bailey said.
The family will lay Killen to rest this September at Arlington National Cemetery. They'll be joined by several other families of service members whose bodies were also recently recovered.