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Marine Laid To Rest After Remains Return Home 74 Years Later

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — The remains of a Duluth serviceman killed in World War II are returning home.

Marine Sgt. James Hubert will be buried Saturday with full military honors in his hometown, nearly 74 years after he was killed.

Hubert was among Marines who landed on a small island in the Tarawa Atoll to try to secure the island against the Japanese. He was killed on Nov. 21, 1943.

U.S. service members killed in the battle were buried on the island. Hubert's remains were not found after the war, and a military review board declared his remains non-recoverable in 1949.

In 2015, History Flight Inc. discovered a burial site on the island and recovered remains of Marines who fought during the battle. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says DNA testing matched Hubert's remains.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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