Flight carried the remains of a soldier missing since the Korean War.

By Ryan Ewing

An American Airlines pilot recently flew a mission that carried personal meaning far beyond the usual passenger flight.

Captain Casey Brouhard, based in Phoenix, commanded American flight 2431 from Dallas/Fort Worth to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Oct. 15.

On board were the remains of U.S. Army Pvt. Harold Beryl Dulyea, Brouhard’s great-uncle, who was declared missing in action during the Korean War in 1950, according to the Allied Pilots Association (APA), the union representing pilots at the airline.

Dulyea served with the 1st Cavalry Division and was captured during the Battle of Yongdong, the APA said. He was among a group of prisoners believed to have been killed when an Allied airstrike hit their convoy while they were being moved north. His remains were never identified and were listed among the unknowns for decades.

The Defense  Accounting Agency  confirmed Dulyea’s identity earlier this year through DNA analysis, allowing his family to bring him home.

Brouhard said operating the flight was a meaningful experience.

“Airplanes don’t just carry people,” he said in an article shared by the APA. “They carry life’s most meaningful journeys. To bring Harold home after 75 years was the greatest honor of my flying career.”

At Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, airline employees and military personnel stood in tribute as Dulyea’s flag-draped casket was loaded aboard the 737. Brouhard’s father, Larre Brouhard, also took part in the ceremony.

Dulyea was later laid to rest at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Michigan with full military honors.