DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — Iowa Falls native Cpl. Melvin Huff was escorted home Thursday night after his remains were returned by an airplane that landed at Des Moines International Airport. Huff was just 19 when the Army lost contact with his plane in Papua New Guinea in January 1945.

The wreckage was not discovered until 2011. His remains were confirmed to be his just last year. His remains were brought home on a flight from Dallas Thursday evening that landed around 7:30 p.m. Waiting at the airport for him were family members, including Barbara and Larry Walters.

CPL. Melvin Huff

Leading the motorcade on the one-and-a-half-hour journey to Huff’s final resting place is the Patriot Guard Riders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring dignity and respect at memorial services.

Huff will be laid to rest at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Union Cemetery in Iowa Falls. Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered all flags be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday to honor Huff.