Remains Of Oklahoma Soldier Returned After More Than 60 Years

After more than 60 years, an Oklahoma family was reunited Friday. 

Bill's Plumlee's uncle "Billy" McIntyre died during fighting in North Korea on Dec. 7 1950. Twenty years ago, North Korea returned the remains of as many as 400 American service members. 

Advances in DNA allowed scientists to identify some of the remains as those of Billy McIntyre. 

"I knew someday he would be found and returned," Bill Plumlee said at Will Rogers World Airport Friday. "I just didn't know if it would happen in my lifetime." 

Plumlee's son Earl is an Army Special Forces Medal of Honor nominee. He flew from Hawaii to Oklahoma City with an American flag-draped coffin carrying his great uncle's remains. 

Bill Plumlee says he remembers his grandmother put a plaque commemorating her son Billy's death next to the family's front door. 

"And I never walked out of their house without looking at it," Plumlee said as his voice choked. 

Plumlee went on to a three decade-long military career of his own in the Marine Corps. and Army Reserves. Plumlee says there are still 7,896 unaccounted for U.S. service members from the Korean War. 

"So the job's not done," he said.