Missing Marine Returns Home for Burial After Being Declared MIA in 1975

America Live brought us the solemn story of a U.S. Marine from Colorado who will be buried with honors after being declared MIA in 1975.

Pfc. James Jacques, 18, was believed to be aboard a helicopter shot down in waters near Cambodia in May 1975. The

chopper was on a mission to rescue 27 Marines aboard the American cargo ship, the SS Mayaguez, that had been overpowered by the Khmer Rouge.

Jacques was among 14 Marines who were declared missing but could never be positively identified. In 1995, a Cambodian man was found wearing Jacques' dog tags, giving the family renewed hope. Jacques' remains were believed to have been found underwater that year, but it took 17 years and advancements in DNA testing for the Defense Department to identify the remains.

Jacques was to be buried today at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.