A WWII airman was buried on Friday in Marana about 80 years after he was killed in action in December of 1943.
Technical Sergeant Harold Lynn Seifreid was laid to rest at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Marana surrounded by some family and members of the community.
His remains were not identified after the war and he had been declared missing in action until recently.
Chaplain Keith Saare said, Eventually our government was able to identify the remains thanks to the technology that has been developed since the time of the crash.
DNA matches from his family helped in identifying his remains.
When I was approached with a request to supply a DNA sample to aid the efforts to find my long lost uncles remains, I was a willing participant, said his niece, Joanne Lowry.
Marleen Seifreid says while she never met her Uncle Howie, she knows he was a jokester and always wanted to put a smile on everyones face. She said the service was such an honor. I thank everyone involved, everyone thats here today,” Seifreid said. “Looking forward to coming to visit.