NORTH SYRACUSE -- It took almost 60 years but a Frank Smith is finally back home.
Smith was buried with military honors at North Syracuse Cemetery Thursday. Fifty nine years ago Smith, a native of Salina, was a 23 year old corporal fighting in Korea.
Korean War veteran Paul Yesensky was in the same battalion as Smith in Korea. Yesensky says Smith died charging up a hillside during a deadly battle with Chinese communist troops. "When Frank was killed he died a hero. We were outnumbered by the Chinese 20 to 1. He died a hero he really did," he says.
Smith's body was never recovered and he was reported missing in action for years.
That changed last June when a military identification team discovered his remains in Korea. For Smith's sister Marion, having her brother's body back home helps her put an end to a question that had remained unanswered for far too long. "Having him back home, it helps us with closure, Now we know," she says.
