After 70 years, remains of Korean war vet back in NC

Army PFC William "Hoover" Jones was one of two soldiers identified last year when North Korea handed over the remains of United States service members killed in the war.

On Thursday, his casket arrived at Raleigh-Durham International Airport to a hero's welcome.

Jones' sister, Ida Dickens, was there for the water salute. She remembers that day in 1950 when her little brother was rushing to meet the taxi to Fort Bragg.

"He was going down the road, looking back, waving," she said. "As long as he could see. [He was] hanging out the window, waving."

Jones was 18 and bound for the war in Korea.

Dickens said he wrote a lot of letters.

"He was hoping to be home for Christmas, and maybe they would try to be home for Thanksgiving," she said.

Then, the letters stopped. And there was a heart-crushing telegram: Hoover was missing in action.

Sixty-eight years would pass before the family learned what happened to Hoover. He was killed when Chinese forces launched a surprise attack along the North Korea border. His remains had at last been identified.

Dickens said she was unsure that the family would ever get closure.

"I never lost hope. I kept hoping that one day we would and finally, he's here," she said.

The Patriot Guard Riders escorted the hearse to Nash County, where the soldier grew up. Firefighters and other admirers paid tribute from bridges and roadsides.

"It's a blessing and just an honor," Dickens said.

Jones' remains will be returned to Raleigh tomorrow to lie in state at the State Capitol rotunda from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Jones will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in August.