THOMPSON, Iowa (AP) — The remains of a World War II soldier killed in action have returned home to Iowa after more than 70 years buried as an unknown at an American military cemetery in France. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that Iowa Army National Guard members fired a 21-gun salute on Saturday to honor Army Pvt. Donald Brown, who was buried at a cemetery in Thompson. Brown died in 1944 when his tank was destroyed by enemy fire near Cambernon, France. But his remains were unable to be identified. His name was recorded alongside other missing veterans at an American Battle Monuments Commission site in France.

Brown’s remains were accounted for in June after family members submitted DNA for testing. His niece, Alison Conrad, says she regrets that no one from Brown’s generation could see the burial.