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The body of a U.S. soldier missing in action during the Korean War has been laid to rest, more than a decade after his remains were recovered by a U.S. team.

Army Sgt. William E. Brashear was finally laid to rest Saturday, said the Defense Department’s POW/Missing Personnel Office. The soldier, who was 24 at the time of his death, was buried in his hometown of Owensboro, Ky., according to the release.

In November 1950, Brashear, of Company B, 70th Tank Battalion, along with almost 600 other 8th Cavalry Regiment soldiers, was killed during a battle south of Unsan, North Korea, the U.S. military said. Their bodies were not able to be recovered at the time and were likely buried on the battlefield by Chinese or North Korean forces.

Military investigators discovered a mass grave in Unsan in 2000 but were unable to identify the remains until new DNA analysis technology became available in 2007.

The Pentagon had planned another mission to North Korea for the spring, but the trip was canceled after Pyongyang announced it would launch a rocket in mid-April.

“When they engage in actions that could be construed as provocative, we think that it’s not the right time to undertake this effort,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said.

More than 7,900 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War.

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