KENOSHA, Wis. — Nearly 50 years after he died in captivity during the Vietnam War, a Kenosha soldier was laid to rest in his hometown on Veterans Day.

Hundreds turned out Tuesday to pay their respects to Army Staff Sgt. James VanBendegom, as he was buried next to his father, who served in the Army Air Force during World War II, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

VanBendegom was 18 when he began his Vietnam tour in 1967. Three weeks later, he was gravely wounded in battle in the Ia Drang Valley near the Cambodian border and captured by North Vietnamese troops.

VanBendegom died in captivity and the location of his remains was unknown. But last month, the military notified his family that some of his remains had been were identified.

A Vietnam veteran honor guard in black berets carried VanBendegom to his final resting place. A priest read a brief Bible passage, and dozens of U.S. flags flapped in a stiff breeze.

VanBendegom's brother, Mike, marveled at the sight of strangers "standing out on the road with tears in their eyes," holding signs at the ceremony, WISN-TV reported.

VanBendegom's family had long given up hope that he would be found. Three days after the battle, Army officials knocked on the family's door to say he was missing in action.

"What was really sad is all of us were gone and my mom was alone at home when they came to the door, like what you see in movies," said Mike VanBendegom, now 67 and the oldest of four sons.

The family thought he was a prisoner of war and waited until Vietnam POWs were sent home in 1973 to learn his fate.

"When we found out he wasn't among the men coming off the plane, we had a memorial service. There was no coffin, just a flag on a table," recalled his brother. "We started to heal."

POWs who were with VanBendegom told his family that he was shot several times in the battle and carried off by North Vietnamese soldiers. They said he died shortly after from his wounds.

VanBendegom's remains took an unusual trip back to his hometown. In 1986, a Vietnamese woman smuggled a collection of human bones from Vietnam into a refugee camp in Thailand. She presented the bones to U.S. officials in hopes of earning a trip to America.

The bones were stored in the United States for decades until DNA technology improved. VanBendegom's family was notified Oct. 17 that some of his remains had been identified, and they were flown home last weekend.

CORRECTS SPELLING OF VANBENDEGOM Virginia VanBendegom, right, is presented the flag that draped the casket of her son Staff Sgt. James VanBendegom, who was buried with full military honors at Sunset Ridge Memorial Park, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014, in Kenosha, Wis. VanBendegom remains were finally laid to rest after 47 years missing in action. It wasn’t until last month that his remains were identified. (AP Photo/Kenosha News, Brian Passino)

Virginia VanBendegom, right, is presented the flag that draped the casket of her son Staff Sgt. James VanBendegom, who was buried Nov. 11 in Kenosha, Wis.

Photo Credit: Brian Passino, AP

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